


Dark AU, It's a Bit of a Long Story

by Ressyfaerie



Category: Bakuten Shoot Beyblade
Genre: AU, Its a bit of a long story, M/M, Ressyfaerie, beyblade - Freeform, dark au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:33:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 57
Words: 127,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27535333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ressyfaerie/pseuds/Ressyfaerie
Summary: This is a Dark Alternate Universe branching off my other fanfic 'It's a Bit of a Long Story' Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5557997/chapters/17322844 . This fanfic follows the idea that after Highschool when Kai goes to London for 3 years for University. Kai and Tyson don't reconnect right away and he instead runs away to Russia to live a life of self sabotage. He meets Tala along the way, as well as an original character written by me. I wrote this fic after my original in 2015 and am only uploading it now because the world deserves to read it. This fic is a rollercoaster of negative emotions and deals with a lot of tough themes, but it does end very happy. TW: Depression, Mention of Suicide, All sex scenes are consensual but might present negative feelings, murder of original character, (Let me know if I need to add any more TWs)I am very proud of this fic! I hope you enjoy it!
Relationships: Hiwatari Kai/Kinomiya Takao | Tyson Granger, Yuri Ivanov | Tala Valkov/Kinomiya Hitoshi | Hiro Granger
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This is a DARK AU based off my original Fanfic 'It's a Bit of a Long Story' I recommend reading the original before this one. This story will deal with some dark themes, there is some cute fluff, but if you cannot handle dark mature themes I recommend you stick with the original fanfic which is much fluffier. After the last chapter (Chapter 50), are some random 'blurbs'/ cute fluff sort of connected to both fics. I really like it! I hope you enjoy it! <3

Chapter 1: Running Away

_I hate this._

Kai was in college overseas in London. He went through the same routine, day after day, for three years.

_I hate this school._

He would wake up, eat a small breakfast, go to morning and afternoon classes, have an hour or two break afterwards, then go to night classes, go out buy dinner, and finally go home exhausted and sleep. 

_I’m so sick of this._

He had been angry since day one, after he left Japan. After Tyson’s confession. 

_What am I even going to do after all this?_

Kai would graduate tomorrow. He was almost certain his Grandfather would tear him away again and place him in a position in his company.

_I don’t want this…_

Kai sat on the edge of his bed alone in his dorm. It was just after four in the morning. He had just sat up after hours of trying to sleep but failing.

_I won’t do this_

His brain felt like a vacuum filled with buzzing bees. His head hurt, and his hands shook. 

_Wait._

_I don’t have to do this?_

_I could just leave! Right now!_

A wide grin grew on Kai’s face as he imagined the taste of freedom. 

_If I just left I wouldn’t have to deal with anyone… No more people around me! No more people telling me what to do! I could go… I could go._

Kai stood up fast. He turned around and fell to his knees reaching under his bed pulling out a suitcase.

_Where could I go?_

He stopped in his tracks after he opened the suitcase.

_Where do I want to go?_

He thought about all the places he had been to in his life.

Where had he felt the happiest? Where in the world is the most beautiful, most interesting place to live?

Memories of America, Europe, and China crossed his mind; his mind seemed to waver as he thought about Japan, the mountains, the trees, Tyson’s house, their old dorm room-

He shook his head side to side to get the thoughts away.

_What about Russia? Tala is there. It’s not hard to get to. I’ll take a boat, then a train. It won’t be hard. If I don’t like it I won’t stay._

Kai threw on some older clothes. One knee was torn open and his shirt was loose. He bent under the bed again and pulled out a backpack instead. He decided to pack light. packing only the essentials. 

_I’m ready._

He had marched to the nearest ATM and took out as much cash from his account that was safe to carry. He bought a ticket to France. He would take a ferry there, then buy another ticket to Travel to Moscow via train. 

He sat in an empty row of seats on the ferry looking out over the water. He wondered if this was a good idea. He convinced himself there was no other alternative. 

  
He arrived in France late morning. If he had stayed he would have been sitting in his graduation ceremony now. He would have been waiting, bored, and expecting a visit from his Grandfather any moment. Instead he traveled down an old street with a cobblestone path. He walked slowly, with no worries, and no destination.

_At least this way he doesn’t know where I am so he can’t find me._

Kai felt relieved as the stress slid off his shoulders, but it was loaded back on as he started to doubt

_Is this me running away? Am I running away?_

He stopped in the middle of the street. 

_No. I’m not a child. Running away is what children do._

Memories of his past came flooding back. His parents closing the door to the room he was in with only his Grandfather… And they never came back.

He shrugged it off again. He continued walking. Trying to find a train station.

His feet hurt. He turned around at an old building. It was hard to find people in this city. He felt very alone, he felt isolated in a way he never felt before. 

He had found what looked to be an ancient murky pond. There appeared to be small fish in it. Beside it was a bench barely held together with rotting wood and rusty metal handles. He decided to risk it and sit down. He tilted his head back and looked at the sky. It was surprisingly clear, and very sunny. He could hear birds and somewhere off in the distance the gentle hum of traffic. 

He sat there for many minutes, until he was startled by his phone, which was ringing.

_No one ever calls me, who is it? Oh._

Kai didn’t have to think for too long to find out who it was. 

He picked up the phone and held it to his ear.

“Hello?”

A cracked voice came through the broken connection.

“Kai! Where are you? I went to your Graduation ceremony and couldn’t find you. Where are you right now? I’ll get a driver to come pick you up.”

His Grandfather sounded surprisingly calm. But Kai knew the situation better.

Kai grinned while answering him back.

“I don’t want you to pick me up. Besides you can’t if I’m not in London.”

“What do you mean you’re not in London? Where are you?!”

His Grandfather’s voice started to rise.

“I’m not even in England.” 

There was a long pause. 

“You’re in France?”

Kai became furious instantly.

“How did you know where the fuck I am?”

“Kai don’t swear, and it's really easy-”

“How!?” Kai yelled so loud into his phone he could swear it echoed back.

Kai’s Grandfather stayed silent.

“Did you track my fucking phone!?” Kai spat.

“Kai don’t be angry- Why are you not in England? When are you going to come back-”

“I’m not coming back.” Kai interrupted. 

“Kai don’t do this.”

Kai had never heard his Grandfather beg before. He had no idea what kind of voice his Grandfather was using right now, but the only way he could describe it was begging. 

“You don’t have any say in what I do. I am an adult now! And I need to-”

“Kai! Don’t do this! You can’t just run away!” 

His Grandfather's words reverberated through his mind. 

“I’m not running away.”

“Then what the hell are you doing?”

“I’m- Taking a much needed break.”

“Kai this is a bad idea. I already know what you have done since the start of college. This is a dangerous way of life. You used to go out, drink, and sleep with anyone to try to get your worries away you can't just disappear to other countries and do the same thing-”

“Stop telling me what I already know!” Kai yelled at the top of his lungs at this point. He scared the fish in the pond.

“Kai. This is a form of self abuse. It’s dangerous. Stop it. Now.”

“Grandfather, you have always had a knack for telling me what to do. I hate you for that. If you had stopped that years ago maybe I’d still be around.”

“Kai please don’t do this. I care about you and your well being I really do-”

“Grandfather please… Stop spewing this absolute bullshit! You have never cared for me you never have-”

“Kai!”

“Grandfather!” 

There was silence. Kai heard no sounds around him but his ears ringing from shouting so much. He put his mouth close to the phone, and with a low voice ended the conversation.

“Fuck you.”

Kai hung up the phone and threw it as hard as he could on the ground. The battery fell out of the bottom and the light from the screen turned off. He stomped on it over and over again, until it was just a pile of small electrical parts. He kicked it all with the side of his foot into the pond. 

He felt more angry and confused than ever. He was tired but full of energy. 

He decided to continue walking until he found a train stop.

Kai looked out the window at the countryside that flew by. It was covered in darkness only being illuminated by the lights of the train as they flew by. Kai could feel his eyes closing. He didn’t want to go to sleep. Because he knew when he woke up he would have a different view on what he was doing. But he closed his eyes anyways, when he woke up it was light out, and the train was still going. They were in what seemed to be a totally different country, it was a totally different country. 

The train hit it’s end. The last stop. Kai got off of the train and found himself in a crowded cement train station. Everything and everyone seemed grey. But he didn't notice.

He didn’t even mind it.

He wandered out of the train station. 

People surrounded him in a blur. He just moved with the flow.

He followed the bustle of the town until it was dark, and there were no longer any crowds to follow. 

He looked up to try to see stars, but he couldn’t see through the smog. He breathed out and looked back down.

_I’m not lost._

Even after he slept in an alleyway with his backpack tied around his arms he repeated it to himself over and over again.

_I’m not lost. I’m not lost. I’m not lost. I’m not lost._


	2. Chapter 2: Bad choices, New Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> R-18 from here on out :)  
> TW: rough s3x stuff lmao

The next day he wandered again and again. He found a familiar cafe. 

This is that restaurant I went to with Tala that one time when I visited. 

Kai now knew he was in the same area Tala would be in. He just needed to look for him.

Kai searched for a long time. A few days had passed. He had managed to find shelter in cafes, 24 hour stores, or bars that he could get into. It was getting dark again. He was walking by a run down bar that looked like a complete dive. He walked right in without a problem and sat down in a booth in the back. 

A waiter came up to him. There weren’t many people in this bar, and it looked like this waiter was probably the owner and the bartender as well. 

“Can I get you anything?” 

“A shot of your strongest, preferably.” Kai said without hesitation.

The waiter disappeared and came back with a single shot.

“It’s strong for someone so young-”

Kai grabbed it and took it all in one swing barely making a facial expression. 

“Wow.” The waiter said in awe.

The waiter disappeared and came back with a large glass of beer.

“This is for you on the house, mostly so you don’t kill yourself with shots.”

“Thanks.” Kai muttered.

The bar was empty after a group of customers left. The waiter pulled up a wooden chair and turned it around. He sat on it backwards and leaned on the edge of the chair. Kai rolled his eyes knowing that he was going to talk to him.

“So when did you come to Russia?” He asked tilting his head slightly.

“How did you know I’m not from here?” Kai asked taking a sip out of the free glass.

“Your accent, and you look kind of Asian.”

“Only half.” Kai responded while starting to chug the beer only putting it down when he had chugged half.

“What brings you here?” 

“I don’t really know.” Kai admitted.

They heard the gentle ring of a bell. The man turned around and sat up greeting his customers.

“Welcome! Oh! Tala! The usual?”

Tala extended his arms to the man.

“Sasha! My good friend!” Tala gave that man a short lived yet strong hug.

Kai sat in silence. He had been looking for him for so long, now after seeing him he was speechless.

As soon as Tala let go of the man his eyes opened wide. He saw Kai at the corner of the bar, at first he didn’t believe it, then he ran up to him.

“Kai! What are you doing here?” Tala fell into the booth and hugged Kai.

Kai lifted his hands in the air loosely not knowing what to do.

“I had nothing else to do I guess?!”

“So you came to Russia?” Tala laughed. “Bad idea my friend.”

Kai shrugged his shoulders.

Tala pointed to the bartender.

“And be careful of Sasha. He’s a flirt.”

Sasha put a hand to his hip and tilted his head.

“I don’t know what you are talking about Tala!” 

Tala turned back to Kai. “He was probably hitting on you, was he?”

“No I hadn’t got to that part yet before you got here!” Sasha exclaimed.

“Don’t you guys have to be careful with this kind of stuff in Russia?” Kai asked eagerly very curious.

“It is hard… But it still exists. Being gay still happens, and people pay good money for services.” Tala winked. “It is dangerous though. You do have to be careful who you tell. Sasha here is fine however.” 

Sasha laughed as he strolled to the bar and started making a drink. 

“My dream is to open the gayest of gay bars.” He finished and walked back over to Tala, dropping a drink in front of him. 

“So Kai…” Tala said raising his drink glass.

They clinked their glasses together toasting.

“To the gayest of gay bars!” Tala laughed.

Then they chugged.

They drank, and they drank, and even after all that they drank more.

At about two in the morning Sasha cut them off and politely kicked their drunk asses to the curb. 

Tala had his arm across Kai’s shoulder and Kai held both himself and Tala up by holding him around the waist. They stumbled through the streets completely hammered. They sang bad Russian pop songs that they could remember.

“Tala where are we even going?” Kai said slurring his words.

“To sleep at my not-boyfriend’s house! I don’t have my apartment anymore…” Tala almost fell down but held himself up barely.

“So one of your clients houses?” Kai asked while leaning into him.

“Noooo! More like fuckboy. I do him for free… Look! We’re here!” Tala exclaimed.

They were in front of an old rusty black gate. Tala opened it up, it creaked. They managed to crawl up a small set of cement stairs to a metal door. Tala knocked on it and drunkenly yelled a name through the door in a cute voice.

They waited and eventually a man opened the door. A bit older than both of them. He didn’t say much but told Tala and Kai to come in.

He practically threw them on the floor together on an old mattress. Kai went to sleep almost immediately while Tala thanked the man and went to sleep. 

Kai woke up drooling. The mattress smelled musty and old. But it still felt better than sleeping sitting up in alleyways. He turned over. He saw a faint light falling through a small window by the door. He got up and rubbed his face with his hands. His eyes were crusty and he smelled awful.

Kai looked to his side and saw Tala already sitting up and gently rocking himself.

“We were really drunk last night huh?” Tala said in an unstable voice.

“Yeah, but why do you sound so worried?” Kai asked.

“I um. May have went to the wrong house? One of my… Old… Friends?” Tala said under his voice.

“What do you mean old friends… Wrong house?” Kai asked confused.

“I mean he probably won’t let us leave without doing him a favour. Well he might let you leave but probably not me-”

They heard a door close from the other side of the room.

The man walked in. He was heavier built than either of them. Kai didn’t understand why him and Tala couldn’t just bolt. But then he remembered Tala telling him they had to be careful who learned their secrets. He decided to go along with whatever Tala was planning. He had been living like this for a lot longer after all.

“Tala.” The man said smiling. “I didn’t think you would come back.”

“Well I came to the wrong house so… We will just be leaving now!” Tala grabbed Kai's sleeve and pulled him up and started to head towards the door.

“Stop!”

Tala stopped in his tracks at the sound of the man’s voice.

“Remember our favours? I helped you out. Now you have to help me out. We have to keep it even remember?” The man’s smiled grew wider as Tala turned on one foot. 

“You can go.” Tala pushed Kai towards the door.

“Naw. I think he should stay.” The man said in a sort of chaotic calm voice.

Kai rotated his body towards the man slowly on one foot. 

“Why would you want me to stay?” Kai uncontrollably gave off a sly grin.

Tala gave Kai a worried side glance.

The man looked to Tala, then back to Kai.

“You know what you’re cute red headed friend here does right? He’s a whore.”

“Only if you pay him.” Kai answered abruptly, and without a pause. 

The man gave off a low chuckle and looked back to Tala.

“Remember Tala. I know who to tell-”

“Stop trying to blackmail me!” Tala raised his voice.

“Oh my so loud.” The man grinned and approached Tala.

Tala tried to flinch back but stayed in place when he realised there was nowhere to run. The man whispered into Tala’s ear, but his voice was loud enough for Kai to hear.

“If you and him do it I’ll let you go free. I won’t bug you ever again.”

Tala pushed him away with force. The man stumbled back and laughed.

Tala looked to Kai worried. Kai took a step forward.

“You promise?” Kai asked the man.

The man blinked a few times. He was surprised Kai had heard him. Tala spoke up.

“You don’t have to-”

“Tala don’t worry about me. Whatever it is I’ll do it, as long as he promises to leave you alone after.”

The man nodded.

“I promise to never contact you again Tala.” the man continuously wore a cocky grin.

Tala scowled. The man walked to Kai.

“Get down.”

“Ah I get it.” Kai understood.

“So then get down!?” The man repeated this time with a frustrated voice.

Kai hesitated. He had no problem doing this kind of stuff but he was usually the one in control. The man reached forward to grab Kai’s neck, Kai fell to his knees before he could touch him.

“One condition.” Kai raised his hand.

“Oh?” The man said slightly amused.

“Don’t touch me.” Kai snarled slightly while undoing his zipper.

“Alright…” The man agreed.

When Kai pulled it out he was pleasantly surprised to discover it was average sized.

The man responded when Kai hesitated again.

“So? Get on with it?”

“Never done it before. Trying to figure out how to approach this…” Kai admitted staring blankly. 

The man must have made a hand gesture to Tala because before Kai knew it Tala was kneeling beside him as well.

“Sorry…” Tala looked away from Kai.

“It’s easy.” The man grabbed his dick and pointed it to Kai’s face. “First step is to at least put your mouth on it.” 

Kai used one hand to hold it and took a slight breath before trying to take it. 

He couldn't take it all at once and instead moved up and down in a rhythm to make up for it.

“Eh… It’s okay.” The man admitted.

Kai took his mouth off it. Oddly he felt himself excited. Not in his usual way, in a weird way that he couldn’t grasp.

The man reached toward Tala and grabbed the back of his head and pulled him towards his dick as well. Tala looked up at the man as he kissed it up and down.

“You too.” The man pointed to Kai.

Kai reached forward and copied Tala, but on the other side. They were both kissing it at the same time. 

_This is weird._

Kai’s lips rubbed against Tala’s slightly. He felt the rough edges of his chapped lips briefly. 

_It’s really really weird._

The man grabbed Tala by his hair and angled himself towards him.

_Why is he always so rough?_

He let himself go all over Tala’s face. His mouth was slightly open. Kai watched from the corner of his eye confused. 

_Why am I watching? Why am I participating- Why-_

Kai was lost in his own thoughts while the man had done up his pants and thrown Tala a towel. 

Tala cleaned himself up and looked back to Kai.

“Alright. We can get going now.”

“That was weird I’m sorry.”

Tala apologized to Kai as they walked some streets downtown. 

“Was it?” Kai asked acting dumb.

“For sure!?” Tala exclaimed confused.

“I think it was only bad when our lips accidentally touched…” Kai admitted.

“Oh god you felt my awful lips didn’t you!” Tala covered his mouth with both his hands dramatically.

“It wasn’t that bad.” Kai tried to reassured him.

“Well… What do you want to do?” Tala asked Kai desperately trying to change the subject.

“Do you know any good bars?” Kai asked.

“I know a good one where there's a lot of gay guys-”

“That will work just fine.” 

Tala chuckled at Kai’s eagerness.


	3. Chapter 3: Missing Home

Their days continued like that for ages. 

Kai would go with Tala to different bars, get drunk, maybe pick someone up, and stay at their house. It happened over and over. Tala did it for money, Kai did it for fun.

But only one of them got bored.

Kai got into bar fights often. Whenever Tala would find him again he would have new cuts or bruises. They drifted apart more often now. 

Kai started to make money by selling himself to the underground fighting pits. Tala used to fight but not anymore. Kai was strong, agile, and attractive, making him a perfect fit for the fighting pits.

Now whenever Tala would meet him again he would be bruised up even worse.

Tonight was a different sort of night. Tala was tired, and decided to stop by his favourite bar.

“Hey Sasha.” Tala nodded to the bartender.

He slid onto a high bar stool beside the bar.

“The usual?” Sasha asked while already starting to prepare it.

Tala nodded and leaned his chin on his hands.

They heard the gentle ring of the bell.

Tala heard someone sit beside him.

“Long time no see.” 

Tala looked up immediately.

“Kai!”

He reached forward and gave Kai a long tight hug. 

He trailed a finger along Kai’s cheek.

“You have another cut…”

“It’s not bad.” Kai shook him off.

“How’s the fighting pits?” Tala asked, more concerned than curious.

“It’s okay. It pays. I got offered to go into some street groups.”

“You mean gangs!?”

“I guess.” Kai shrugged his shoulders while asking for a beer.

Sasha slid a tall glass towards him. Kai drank.

“Kai.” Tala started then stopped.

“What?”

“Let's hang out more.”

“Alright?” 

It used to be Kai following Tala around. Now Tala followed Kai around his everyday life. He went to the fighting pits, and watched him fight. He was good, but Tala was still worried. At one point Kai was thrown down by a guy who was over a foot taller than him, someone from the audience threw something to Kai’s opponent, but Kai managed to trip the guy from a sitting position and win the fight. It only made Tala more worried.

Tala hung out with Kai after the fight. They headed towards the worst part of town.

“Um… Kai?” 

“What?” 

“We are going into gang territory…” 

“So?”

Tala could feel his heart rise in his chest, he felt anger and worry. 

“Kai…”

Tala followed him without saying a word.

He followed him into a bar filled with sketchy people. Tala leaned into Kai and whispered to him only.

“Are you sure we should be here…”

“If it’s a problem then leave.” 

Tala was surprised at Kai’s comment and his attitude; it wasn’t like him. Kai picked up on Tala’s surprise.

“I’m sorry Tala- I didn’t mean-” Kai started and then took a deep breath. “Lets just go back to Sasha’s.”

  
They walked back to their usual bar. Sasha started making their drinks as soon as they walked in. 

“Hey guys, how are you doing?”

They both shrugged in unison and sat down exhausted. 

Sasha could sense the tension. 

“You know I have a couch in the back. You guys could use it if you need a place to stay.

“Really!?” Tala thanked him excitedly. 

“Thanks.” Kai said monotone. 

They had pulled out the couch into a bed. It was an old couch in a very tiny room in the back of Sasha’s shop, in the basement. Sasha lived upstairs. 

He had lent them some blankets and pillows. Tala covered himself in blankets and got all comfy, Kai did the same.

He felt odd feeling so cozy. It was a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time. Warm clean sheets, in a house with a dry heat. 

Kai breathed out, he suddenly felt nostalgic, like he missed home.

_Hang on. Where is my home? What am I even missing?_

Kai looked at the ceiling laying on his back.

_I feel it. Warm. Soft. I feel something beside me… That’s where the heat is coming from._

Kai suddenly got flashes of high school.

_No no no._

He remembered what he missed. Where he felt at home. It was with Tyson. In their dorm room.

_No no no no no._

Kai managed to keep his mind off Tyson for so long.

_I do not miss him._

Kai tried desperately to convince himself.

_I do not miss him. I don’t miss his eating habits, his snoring, the way he walks, the way he giggled at the end of sentences sometimes, how dumb he could be, how he took hot showers, how warm he was, how comforting he was…_

Kai could feel his whole face heat up.

_Oh god I miss him._

“Hey Tala? Are you awake?” Kai asked through the darkness of the room.

“Kind of.” Tala replied in a scratchy voice.

“Hey do you still have your phone?”

“Yeah why?”

“And you still have that social media thing on it?”

“I swear to god if you woke me up to play that stupid Japanese cat game you were obsessed with you’re dead meat-”

“No I just wanna borrow it. Can I?”

Tala reached down below the bed and pulled out his phone and threw it at Kai.

“Just keep the brightness down and let me sleeeep. And plug it back in to charge after.”

“Thanks Tala.” He found the phone hidden in the blankets after it was thrown at him.

Kai turned it on and lowered the brightness. He opened up the app and tapped on to the search bar.

He typed in: Tyson Granger

A bunch of results came up, but there was an ‘already friends with option’. The picture looked like Tyson. Kai tapped it right away.

He was redirected to another page that looked like Tyson’s. He zoomed in on his profile picture. It was a picture someone else must have taken of him. He was leaning on an island counter in a kitchen of someone’s house holding a red cup. He was smiling ridiculously. Kai felt himself grin but tried to hold it back in the darkness. 

Kai started to scroll through. He noticed that these statuses must have been things Tyson wrote himself. They were mostly stupid jokes that went on for months. He opened the comment section of a funny one and saw that Ray, Max, Kenny, and Hilary had commented on it. He felt a rush of disappointment. He felt instantly disconnected. He exited out of it right away.

He wanted to stop but he kept scrolling. 

**Tyson was at ‘Katana Grill’ he rated it 1 star. He said “burger tasted so bad i gurgled some substance from the fake oil candle in the center of the table”**

“Ha…” Kai accidently laughed out loud.

“What are you laughing at?” Tala asked sleepily.

“Nothing go back to sleep.”

Kai continued to scroll through for ages. Tyson had uploaded some pictures. He looked through them.

It must have been from his birthday party last year. In a series of pictures he was on the floor, and different people were trying to pick him up in every picture. Hilary tried, Max tried, Ray tried. It looked like they had a blast.

Kai could feel his heart race and his face heat up.

**Tyson is in a relationship**

Kai couldn’t feel his heart. It stopped right in its tracks. Everything seemed to stop at once. There was a picture.

Tyson sat on a stool while some cute Japanese guy had his arm around Tyson’s shoulder. The caption read:

**So happy to be celebrating our five month anniversary! I love you Tyson Granger! <3 **

_No._

_I didn’t want this._

_But I-_

Kai turned off the phone and put his hand to his mouth. He could feel his eyes start to burn.

_No. Don’t you dare cry no._

Kai jumped up out of the bed and quickly plugged in Tala’s phone to his charger and opened the door quietly and slipped out. 

He ended up walking straight out into the bar. There was no one there but Sasha drying some dishes with a white cloth.

“Oh. Good morning Kai. I just closed the bar. It’s just after two- Are you okay? Are you crying?”

“No.” Kai answered while wiping his face with his forearm.

“I know you’re closed but can I still buy a drink?” Kai asked politely. 

“Of course Kai.” Sasha gestured towards an empty barstool.

“Your strongest then.” 

Kai threw down some cash on the table.

“I better pay you now before I get smashed.”

“What’s wrong Kai? You seemed fine when you went to bed.” Sasha slid a shot over to Kai.

Kai took it in one swig and wrinkled his nose as he swallowed.

“Damn that one was strong.”

He held out the shot glass.

“Another!”

Sasha poured it again and Kai took it again. His face started to go red already and he crossed his arms and leaned into them.

“Sasha?”

“Yep that's me.”

“Do you ever…” Kai rotated the glass in his hand. “Do you ever get lonely sometimes? Being alone in Russia I mean…”

“Yeah. Occasionally. It’s hard being gay here obviously. But it’s not like I can leave. I don’t have a choice. Do you get lonely sometimes?”

Kai looked at his shot glass as he rotated it again and again counterclockwise.

“I guess I do. But not really. I’m really a loner. I don’t like being around people. So why do you think I miss it so much?”

“You had friends you used to hang out with?” Sasha asked while passing Kai a glass of water. “Here, drink some of this you won’t get a bad hangover.”

“Thanks, and yeah, in Japan.”

“How was that?”

Kai put down the shot glass and took a sip of the water.

“I miss it. And I think I miss him. I don’t want to miss him.”

Sasha took Kai’s shot glass and started to wash it. 

“You left someone you loved didn't you?”

“No- I didn’t.” Kai could feel his whole face burn up again. He felt a few tears fall and wiped them away with his forearm again.

“I left because I didn’t want to hurt him by staying- but now he’s with someone else I think- and I’m hurt.”

Kai looked to the side.

“Fuck… Can I have another shot?” 

“Are you sure Kai these are really strong…”

“Yeah.”

Sasha gave him another shot which he took right away.

When Kai dropped the shot glass one the table he sniffed.

“Shit. I feel like shit.”


	4. Chapter 4: The Day I Met The Devil

Kai woke up with a hangover. It had been a few months. He had cut his hair and dyed it black, it was too easy to be picked out of the crowd with his silver grey hair. This was a really bad hangover. He hadn’t seen Tala in weeks. He felt shittier than he did before. He looked to his right to the side of the bed another guy was sleeping in.

_Shit what was his name again? Whatever. Fuck it._

Kai got up and left. He wandered the city. It was late afternoon when he woke up and he was already prepared to go out again. He found an extremely rowdy club and decided to wander in through the back door. 

The first thing he did was go to the bar, which was being surrounded by club members with only one bartender. Kai was out of money and decided it was easier to just reach around the counter and pull out a huge bottle for himself rather than standing in line and paying. 

He was led to the dance floor by a group of crazy girls. He drank straight out of the bottle and attempted to dance with them. He saw a glimmer of red in the crowd. 

_Tala._

Before he knew it Tala had walked right up to him. They couldn't hear each other over the loud music so they managed to make their way through the crowds to a narrow hallway. It was covered in posters and spray paint.

“What brings you here Kai?” Tala asked.

“I don’t know just kind of saw it. Walked in.”

“Okay well this club is starting to clear out I suggest you do as well.”

“How come?” Kai asked confused.

“Apparently a huge gang is coming in. No one wants to stay. They’re apparently super dangerous. 

Kai gave him a look filled with dangerous curiosity. 

“Kai don’t. Don’t stay just come with me.”

“Oh I think I’ll stay.”

“Kai…” 

Tala sighed.

“Why are you like this?”

“Like what?” Kai asked raising his voice visibly angry.

They had a moment that seemed to stop in time. They could only hear the harsh beat and rumble of the club music in the distance.

“Seeking trouble. Looking to get hurt. It’s not healthy. What is wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong with me.”

“Something is!? Normal people don’t go looking to get hurt! Normal people don’t let themselves get hit and punched in the fighting pits! Normal people don’t look for ways to hurt themselves!”

“I’m not trying to hurt myself.”

“Then what are you trying to do?” Tala asked sounding exhausted.

“I don’t know.”

“Are you angry? Are you sad? What are you looking for!?”

“I don’t know!” Kai yelled at the top of his lungs and turned his whole body in one fast frustrated motion and landed his fist right in the wall.

Kai kept his fist there. It hurt. His knuckles were probably bleeding. He was looking away from Tala and was breathing heavily.

“Is it because of him?”

“Who?” Kai asked knowing very well who it was.

_It’s Tyson._

“You left him there. You feel bad about it. I know. You left his page open on my phone.”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about-”

_It’s Tyson._

“You said you didn’t love him. But you feel bad because you knew you were lying, to him and yourself.”

“I didn’t lie to anyone!?”

_I did. I lied to Tyson._

“You miss him more than anything! And you can’t get over him? Can you!?”

“I’m obviously over whoever it is you’re talking about because I don’t know who you’re talking about!”

_I’m not over him._

“Just admit that you miss him! You need him!”

“I don’t need anyone! And I do not miss him!”

_I miss him._

“Kai. It’s okay to need something. Or someone. It’s all okay.”

Kai let go of the wall. Blood trickled down his fist. He turned around and stared Tala dead in the eyes.

“I don’t need anyone. Get out.”

“Kai-”

“Get out now!”

“Kai!-”

“Get out! Get out Get out!” 

Kai screamed at him in a way he never had before. 

Tala was shocked. He whole body felt like it was tingling. He was terrified. There was a fire in Kai’s eyes that he didn’t understand. But it was dwindling. 

“If you ever need something- Anyone- Come find me-”

“Just get out please…” Kai looked to the floor and held his forearm. 

Tala backed out of the hallway until he disappeared around a corner.

Kai stood still for a moment. He used his not bloody hand to rub his eyes. He felt tired, sore, and hurt. He decided to go back on to the dancefloor.

When he got back no one was there except a small group. Two girls walked up to him.

“Hey!” They both said in cute voices in unison.

“Well that's fucking ominous and terrifying.” Kai said right to their faces. 

They gave him a pouty face. One tried to grab his arm, which he pulled away right away.

“Aww you’re bleeding!” One of the girls said. 

The other girl started to push him from behind to the bar.

“Here we will get you fixed up!” 

“Woah, woah!” 

They sat Kai down on a barstool. One girl asked for a first aid kit. The bartender gave her one and the other girl grabbed it from her, then they started fighting over the first aid kit as if they were trying to put on a silly show for Kai. He didn't fall for it at all.

“Ladies. Don’t be stupid. This man is hurt.”

Kai heard a low gruff voice from behind him. He turned around to find a man who was much taller than him and older than him by a few years. The girls instantly stopped as if they respected him greatly.

Or they were afraid.

The man made a fanning gesture with his hand and the girls got up and disappeared almost instantly.

He sat on a barstool across from Kai. He opened the kit on the counter. He pulled out some alcohol wipes and a few bandages.

“Give me your hand.”

“No thanks I can do it myself later-” Kai tried to get out of the situation but found he was stuck in between this man’s intimidating personality and his interesting face…

“It’s best to clean it now instead of later. I used to be a doctor I know how these things are done.”

The man put out his hand palm up.

“Now give me your hand.” The man demanded in an oddly entrancing voice.

Kai reluctantly gave him his hand in a daze. 

“This might sting a bit.” 

He rubbed one of the wipes on his hand. Kai had almost no response.

“Wow, you have some nice pain tolerance huh?” 

He started to put bandages on Kai’s knuckles.

“My name is Frederick. What’s yours?”

Kai was about to say his real name before Tala’s words played through his mind.

_A huge gang’s coming in._

It didn’t look like this small group of people could possibly be a powerful gang. But Kai decided it was better safe than sorry.

“My name is… Tai.”

_God that was awful._

“That’s a nice name. Is it Japanese? You look kind of Japanese.”

“I’m half Japanese half Russian.”

“Oh, what a nice mixture.” Frederick seemed to say in a voice coated in honey.

His whole being was strangely entrancing. 

“I’m finished.” Frederick said but he still held Kai’s hand.

“Thank you.” Kai tried to pull his hand away but felt powerless.

Frederick pulled Kai’s hand towards him pulling all of Kai’s body.

“Ow!” It hurt Kai when he pulled on him.

The man’s mouth was near Kai’s ear, he could feel his hot breath.

“You’re welcome. Now what are you going to do for me?”

Kai pushed him away and sat back on the stool. He violently pulled his hand back and kept it away.

“Forgive me Frederick. Sometimes I’m naive and think that kindness comes free.”

“How foolish of you.” He grinned.

Kai stood up from his seat.

“Well thank you for everything anyways.” Kai turned to leave. 

“Wait!” The man called after him. 

Kai tried to continue walking but was stopped by a security guard he didn’t recognize walking in. 

“Stay here for a few more minutes. Here I can make us be alone.”

The man simply snapped his fingers. The group on the other side of the room got up in sync and left out the doors. The bartender disappeared into the back and even the security guards exited out the door they were guarding.

“Sit.” Frederick pulled out the chair again.

Kai knew there was no way out of this. He had dug himself into a hole and couldn't get out. He went and sat down.

Frederick got up and climbed over the bar. He pretended to be the bartender.

“What can I get you?”

“Water thanks.” Kai said emotionless.

“Beer it is.” Frederick grinned and poured two from the tap.

Kai chugged it immediately hoping it would numb the pain in his fist and get him out of this situation.

“So what brings you to Russia Tai?”

“Born here.”

“I doubt it not with that accent. Japanese?”

“What is wrong with my accent?”

“It doesn’t sound like native Russian it sounds too forced.”

“Thanks.” Kai said sarcastically. 

“So Japan then?”

“Yeah sure.”

The man grabbed a stainless steel shaker and started to make them fancier drinks. 

“Are you trying to get me drunk?” Kai asked suspiciously.

“Maybe a little bit.” Frederick winked.

He poured a mixture into two shot glasses and passed one to Kai.

“Drink up.” 

They both took theirs at the same time. Kai grimaced slightly but still took it.

“Wow I’m surprised. That was one of my strongest mixtures.” Frederick approved pretending to be slightly shocked.

He gestured to Kai’s glass, Kai nodded and he filled it again. This time Kai took the shot alone; Frederick only watched.

“Damn Tai. You either have a high alcohol tolerance, or are just trying to get fucked up.” 

“A little bit of both.” Kai looked down into the empty shot glass.

The man leaned over the bar. He kept his face close to Kai, he was leaning so far over a silver chain slipped out of his shirt and dangled in front of Kai’s eyes. 

“How come?” The man tilted his head and asked in a rough but calming voice.

Kai stared at the silver chain in from of him. It moved slightly and then stood still.

Kai couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol talking, or the man’s charms. He tilted his head and something just clicked in Kai’s brain. There was no way in hell Kai would tell him everything, but for some reason he wanted to. Kai had felt this kind of immediate attraction to other people before, but nothing this fierce. 

Kai reached forward and grabbed Frederick’s chain and pulled him into himself. Kai stood up on the chair and moved his head near Frederick’s neck.

“I’m looking to get fucked if you know what I mean…” Kai whispered into his ear.

Frederick moved a hand forward and easily pushed Kai away back into his seat. Kai laughed with his face all red.

“Sorry I’m not usually like this!” Kai giggled against his will.

“I find a lot of strong willed people still fall to my charms…” The man grinned. 

“Shut up. You’re not as cool as you think you are…” Kai could feel his body heating up from the alcohol. But it didn’t explain the numbness or buzzing in his head.

“Oh my god.” Kai opened his eyes wide and stopped smiling, and then continued to smile again. “You fucking spiked my drink didn’t you!?” 

“Some charms don’t come naturally.” The man grinned and continued to shake another stainless steel drink maker.

“You sly bitch.” Kai kept grinning uncontrollably. This time he knew it wasn’t him, or the alcohol, but whatever he spiked his drink with.

“What was it you put in it- When?!” Kai asked confused and raising his voice. 

The man shrugged. “Nothing bad. It just makes you feel a bit more up, and sometimes a little dizzy, but not often. Do you hate it?”

“I hate being forced to feel happy.” Kai tried to scowl but his face felt tingly and he could only awkwardly smile. He put his hands to his face and covered it. 

“Hey hey…” The man reached forward and grabbed Kai’s hands and pulled them away from Kai’s face.

“It’s not that bad- It’s not that bad!” Frederick’s face was really close now. 

Kai looked at him. 

“Why would you do this-”

The man let go of Kai’s hands and let them fall loosely on Kai’s cheeks. 

“You said you wanted to get fucked right? I’m just trying to make sure you will enjoy it fully…” 

Kai tried to gain his composure again. He swallowed hard.

“I think you seem to have an idea in your mind that I’m a bottom… That’s not the case… I don’t bottom.”

Kai grinned uncontrollably still.

Frederick imitated his smile back and moved forward kissing Kai. They locked together and made a fun sloppy mess. It felt weird with Kai’s tongue feeling so limp.

Kai felt like he was in a daze. It felt so good- But it was wrong.

Kai pulled himself away abruptly. He slid off the chair and prepared himself to leave.

“Leaving so soon?” Frederick called after him in a sly voice. “It was just getting fun!”

Kai turned his back to him and turned to leave through the back exit away from his bodyguards in the front. 

“Thanks for everything.” Kai said monotone while holding his wounded hand in the air.

“Wait Tai.”

Kai tried to keep going but his body stopped. It was something about this man’s demanding personality. He just wanted to follow.

“You think I’m just going to let you leave? Just like that? I bandaged your wounds, then I gave you free liquor, expensive liquor mind you.” 

Kai looked over his shoulder at the man giving him an angry expression.

“So you owe me. What are you going to do for me?” Frederick said while leaning over the bar.

Kai sighed. He was stuck in another situation that made him feel in between two rocks closing in. 

“I’ll tell you what.” Frederick moved around the bar dragging one hand on the edge of it. He let go then walked towards Kai. He put a hand on Kai’s shoulder and walked around him to stand in front of him. He used both his hands to pretend to wipe off dust on Kai’s shoulders.

“I recognize you. Where have I seen you before?” Frederick asked in a way that said ‘I already know’.

“I work in the fighting pits a lot.” Kai answered unconsciously lowering his head. 

“Ah yes. I know you. You’re very strong… Capable…” The man used a finger to tilt Kai’s head upwards so he would look in his eyes again. 

“I actually have something very important to do tonight. You can help.”

Kai looked at him without blinking. “What?”

Frederick moved his hands down trailing them on Kai’s chest and keeping them on his abdomen. “Me and some of my boys have to go bug a group of people that are giving us trouble. We are just going to rough them up a bit that’s all. You’re used to doing that in the fighting pits right? You can help with that. then our debts are repaid.” He winked at him. 

Kai thought for a moment.

“Alright. It won’t take long will it?” 

“Maybe an hour tops.”


	5. Chapter 5: Battlefield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Violence

Kai had followed the man out of the bar and deeper into the side of town where streetlights wouldn’t go on, and doors had more than three locks. He already had a bad feeling, but now it was worse. 

“So… What did these guys do to you?” Kai asked curious. 

“Well they are trying to take over more of our territory. Not the important parts, but it's happening anyways. So we are going to fix it.” 

“So I’m becoming a member in your gang war then?” Kai simplified the situation Frederick was sugarcoating. 

Frederick laughed; it echoed through the vacant streets. “You caught me Tai.” 

Frederick put an arm out in front of Kai. 

“Here we are.”

Kai looked around. They were in the middle of the street in the middle of nowhere. Frederick grabbed his arm and dragged him into an alleyway. They ran for ages. Kai could see the end of the alleyway they were following. They suddenly emerged into an open space under a overpass that hadn’t been used in years and was falling apart. There were bits of concrete everywhere big and small and bigger boulders still. Frederick whistled. 

All the sudden dark figures started to appear from behind boulders and concrete pillars. They surrounded Kai and Frederick in a circle. They all stared at Frederick for instruction. Frederick started to bolt out a plan at light speed.

“...At some point after we take down enough men, don’t do too much, we want them to run away scared not to hold a grudge. Hurt one person enough to make them scared not enough to make them angry understood? They should be here any minute. So go get in your planned positions!”

Everyone scattered instantly. Frederick turned to Kai.

“Tai, take this.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out something small. “Use it to protect yourself if things get ugly.” 

Kai took it then was taken back in surprise.

“Is this a fucking gun!? You said we were just going to rough them up a bit!?” 

“Just in case things get ugly. Don’t use it unless you have to. You know how right?”

Kai looked down at the pistol in his hand. He was taught in the Abbey how to shoot, he didn’t understand why at the time. He never thought it would come in handy.

“Alright. But I won’t use it.” Kai said.

Frederick reached around him and unclipped his belt, he had another one underneath. Kai thought it was odd but then he noticed what it was. Frederick passed it to him and Kai tied it around his waist. It was a gun holster, it was more worn than the one Frederick had on. 

“I already have my own so don’t worry.” Frederick said while tapping a bulge under his jacket. 

Kai nodded uncomfortably. 

“Stay close to me. During the chaos it might be hard to tell who is on your side. A general rule will be to attack anyone who attacks you.”

Kai nodded again.

Suddenly they heard hollering from the distance. Some lights appeared through the overpass.

“They always like to be dramatic.” Frederick said under his breath. “Let's go!” He gestured to Kai with his hand then they started running towards the commotion. 

Kai ran following Frederick and dodging around and over cement rocks. He squeezed in between two giant slabs and discovered a crowd of rowdy men all fighting at once. It was like a real life battlefield. There was blood and occasionally teeth everywhere. Frederick jumped in right away, some people looked terrified and some cheered. He first landed a heavy punch on the biggest guy there knocking him flying. 

Kai felt a presence behind him. He turned and ducked just in time to dodge someone’s fist. The guy was about his size and pretty scrawny. He probably only picked on Kai thinking he was a new weak member. But Kai had fought worse in the fighting pits. He turned his body and landed a strong kick into the man’s stomach. He fell backwards onto his back out of breath. Kai looked around in a circle. He wasn’t used to fighting multiple people at once, it made him lose his bearings. 

He felt something land on his back, he fell forward but managed to get his balance and twist himself around to look at his new opponent. 

He was much taller than him, and heavily built. Kai had fought someone just like him before and decided to use the same strategy.

Kai backed up slightly, when the man bolted forward with his upper body weight Kai ducked and reached forward grabbing both of his legs. The man fell forward on his face and gave off a deep screech. Kai was stuck under him briefly and squeezed out from under him. Before the man could get up Kai landed another heavy kick to his stomach. 

The man was down and Kai looked around again. It looked like one side was clearly winning but Kai couldn’t tell which. He suddenly realized he had lost Frederick. 

He started to panic. He didn’t trust him, but he was the one thing that was solid keeping him here and giving him directions. 

He noticed the battle was very one sided, but the last guys that were there were making a huge effort to win, or get out alive.

Kai looked around and around. There was no one challenging him at the moment, but then he heard two voices on either side of him.

“Hey! Hanging out with their boss huh? You must be pretty important.” One guy said in a deep voice.

“Lets fuck him up to make their boss pissed.” another guy on Kai’s opposite side hissed in a high pitched voice. 

_Fuck._

Kai felt a massive blow to his cheek on the side with the big guy he wasn’t paying attention to. Kai fell to the ground and tried to get himself up again. He managed to crawl to his feet fast, almost before the skinny guy kicked his side. 

_Shit._

Kai stumbled back and stood up. He wiped his face with his hand and felt the warm trickle of blood. It seemed like it came from everywhere on his face.

“Not so pretty now huh!?” The bigger guy yelled at him. 

_How do I get out of this?_

“I still think we should mess with your face a bit more…” The skinnier boy said in his obnoxious voice.

_I’m so fucked._

Everything seemed like it happened in slow motion. The men started to move towards Kai at the same time. 

Kai heard a loud bang. It echoed in slow motion and vibrated off the walls and cement slabs under the underpass. 

Kai felt himself fall backwards and a searing pain start from his upper thigh and shoot through his body. It took a few moments for Kai to scream.

“Fuck!” Kai screamed at the top of his lungs and grabbed his thigh. It was covered in blood from the shot wound. 

The men still advanced on Kai. Kai heard someone call to him.

“Tai!” 

Frederick burst through the crowd and toppled one of the men to the ground. Another member landed a punch to the skinnier man’s face. 

Frederick ran up to Kai when he was done dealing with the huge man. 

“Tai! Hold the wound firmly here.” Frederick opened a hand to one of his underlings who reached into his jacket and pulled out a long scarf or ribbon like cloth. 

Frederick knelt down and tried to tie the cloth around Kai’s leg as a temporary bandage. 

Kai pushed him away, “No- fuck- I’m fine.” 

“Tai you got shot don’t be stubborn- lift up your leg- yes- there we go.” Frederick started to tie the bandage around. He stood up and held out his hand. 

“We need to go get the bullet out and do some proper surgery and bandaging. We can do that back at my house.” 

“Don’t bother-” Kai looked away.

“Stop being an idiot.” Frederick reached down and grabbed Kai by the waist and pulled him up. 

“Ow! Christ!” Kai yelled and grit his teeth. He was in a lot of pain. 

Kai was dragged along with one arm on Frederick and the other on Frederick’s gang member. 

They walked for a long time. Kai felt himself fall in and out of consciousness a few times. He managed to keep himself awake until they entered Frederick’s apartment. Then everything went black.


	6. Chapter 6: The Devil Wears Gucci

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> R-18 again here yall,  
> TW- Rough almost s3x, ends consensually/ doesn't happen.

Kai opened his eyes drowsily. It took a lot of effort to open his eyes and decided what had happened the previous night really did happen. 

To his left was a massive window spanning a whole wall of the room. the sun was streaming in. It was about midday.

Kai determined he was sleeping on a bed. It was clean with white sheets and smelled of fabric softener. He hadn’t slept on something this clean in many months. 

To his right there was something lumped under the blankets. Kai tried to move to touch it and see what it was, but he felt pain rise from his leg.

“Aw… Fuck…” Kai said in pain with a cracked voice.

The lump moved and rolled over. 

It was Frederick.

“So you’re awake? We had a pretty late night last night. I did some quick emergency surgery on you. I removed the bullet and bandaged you up. Just be a little careful alright?”

Kai squinted his eyes. Frederick laughed.

“Yeah. You might still feel a little drowsy from the anesthetic.” 

Kai tried to sit up but fell back down. 

Frederick pulled the sheets off him and sat beside Kai who was lying down. 

“Boy Tai you’re reckless. You go and repay me with some fights then go and get shot. Now that I’ve healed you yet again how are you going to repay me?”

“Fuck you I told you not to…”

He reached forward and ran his hand through Kai’s hair, tugging on individual parts forcefully. 

“How could I not help someone who was bleeding and screaming in pain? I’m not evil.”

Kai tried to pull himself up, this time successfully by balancing on his elbows then hands. He leaned against the edge of the bed. 

“You need to eat something. You lost a lot of blood you know.”

Frederick climbed off the bed and stretched. He was wearing only loose boxer briefs. Kai looked at himself. He was only wearing his underwear too.

“You undressed me!?”

“I had to bandage you up. And you were covered in blood.” Frederick grinned. “I have some leftovers in the fridge from takeout I had yesterday. I’m not a cooking person. You get what you get.”

Kai had managed to climb off the bed after Frederick left the room. He looked around on the floor and couldn’t find his pants anywhere. He dragged his hand on the wall for balance while he hobbled out of the room. He made it into a white hallway. Everything in this apartment was strangely clean and white. All the windows had a sky view and they were really high up; way more than twenty floors.

Kai made his way into the living room/kitchen. Frederick was in the kitchen preparing something. The room was massive with vaulted ceilings. The whole corner was the living room with large couches and a huge rug leading on to a balcony that angled around the building in an L shape. The whole room felt completely open, it was almost all windows. There were small steps leading to the kitchen.

_This guy's living the rich life._

“Good morning Tai.” 

At first Kai was confused. He forgot what name he gave himself.

“oh- Yeah?” Kai said while attempting to walk over to the island in the middle of the kitchen. He managed to get up the stairs with great effort and sit onto a barstool and lean on the tall counter.

Frederick slid over some cutlery and a plate with takeout food on it that probably just came out of the microwave.

“Thanks. Let's hope it’s not roofied this time.” 

Frederick grinned.

Kai grabbed the chopsticks that were beside the plate and dug in instantly. Kai looked up at Frederick who was grinning slyly. 

“What?” Kai asked with attitude. 

“So Japan then?” He repeated the question he asked last night.

Kai knitted his eyebrows together confused. Then he looked down at the chopsticks he was holding in his hands, and noticed there was a fork on the other side of the plate to choose from, he looked back up at Frederick.

“Fuck you, you set this up.” 

“But you are from Japan.”

“Kind of…” Kai dropped everything and slammed his hands on the table forcing himself back into a standing position. 

“I’ve lost my appetite.” Kai looked at Frederick. “Where’s my stuff? I would like to leave.” 

“But you’re still injured-”

“I want to leave.” 

Frederick sighed. “You’re stuff is in my bedroom on the opposite side where you slept.” 

“Thank you.” Kai wobbled as he walked away.

“Let me help you..” Frederick tried to reach under his waist to hold him up, Kai shrugged him off roughly. 

“I can walk myself.” 

Kai went to the bedroom trying to ignore Frederick following him. 

“Hey can you stop following me Frederick?” Kai glared at him and tried to find his stuff.

Frederick closed the door to his room.

“Hearing you call me Frederick feels weird. You can call me Freddy.”

“My stuff isn’t here-” Kai turned towards him, then rolled his eyes. “Oh of course.”

“No it’s not here it’s in my closet.”

Kai sighed and went to walk towards the closet.

Frederick jumped towards him and pushed him on to the bed. Kai fell down on to his back with both his legs on the bed. He grunted in pain from the impact. Frederick sat on top of him on his stomach.

“What you thought you could walk around my apartment half naked, eat my food, and I would just let you leave injured?” He grinned.

“Yeah, instead, Freddy you’re going to convince me to have sex with you injuring me even further. That makes sense.” Kai gave off a dramatic confused expression and rolled his eyes.

“You’re really filled with sass Tai.” 

Frederick fell forward with his hands on either side of Kai’s head.

“You’re going to have to spongebath with your leg like that as well. Aaannd-” Frederick trailed off playing with Kai’s hair.

“What!?” Kai asked moving his head away from his hand.

“Has your hair always been this colour? Black isn’t your natural hair colour is it?” Frederick asked suddenly distracted.

“Yeah it is-” Kai answered.

“I don’t think it is.” 

“Shut up Freddy.” Kai said dramatically while grinning and tilting his head slightly to get his attention away from his hair.

“If you keep calling me that you’re going to make me go crazy…” Frederick let his head fall into Kai’s neck as he said it. 

His hot breath on Kai’s naked neck made his whole body tingle. He swallowed hard.

“Turned on?” Frederick whispered into Kai’s ear and bit his neck.

“Fucking stop…” Kai closed his eyes and felt his body tense up.

“You swear a lot you know that right Tai? Can you say anything else?” 

Kai had his eyes closed as Frederick pushed himself back up. He trailed his fingers up and down Kai’s chest. 

Kai opened his eyes and looked at him. “I actually have quite an extensive vocabulary, I just choose not to use it.”

“Oh my, a smart college boy.” 

“You wish.” Kai tried to pull himself into a sitting position but was forcefully pushed back down by Frederick again. 

“I don’t want to have sex with you Frederick-”

“Freddy- and are you sure? I have a feeling you’re lying.”

“I’m not lying-”

“You just don't want to be bottom right?” 

Kai opened his mouth to say something but then fell silent. 

“So I’m right? How about this…” 

Frederick moved himself down so that he was laying on Kai with his face overtop of his underwear. He looked up at Kai and trailed his fingers along the edge of his boxers.

“I’ll just give you a handjob… You can’t tell me you don’t want to.”

Kai looked down at him. He couldn’t deny that he wanted it. 

“You’re breathing pretty heavily Tai.”

“Am I?” Kai asked with a crack in his voice.

“Yes…” Frederick said as he directed his attention downwards as he pulled down Kai’s boxers all the way off.

“Wow you’re decently sized aren’t you.” Frederick said in slight awe as he started to rub it up and down with one hand while looking Kai in the eyes.

Kai had to look away from him. 

It went on like that for a while. Kai was almost there.

“En…” Kai bit his lip slightly.

Frederick stopped. “What was that Kai? I couldn’t quite hear you-”

At that moment Kai felt something small insert inside him.

“Jesus!” Kai lifted his head up and looked at Frederick.

“I thought you might like it better if you came with something in your ass… I just used my two fingers-”

“That’s not okay! Stop!” 

Frederick disregarded what Kai said and started to move his fingers.

“Sto!-” Kai tried to blurt out but his whole body stopped in its tracks when he felt a strange shiver through his whole body. He fell backwards into the bed again.

“Fuck-”

“I told you you would like it Kai. Do you want me to keep going?” 

Kai didn’t even hesitate in answering, “Y-yes, keep going Freddy-”

“Oh, fuck yes.” Frederick said under his breath just enough for Kai to hear as he continued to move faster, then deeper.

“Fuck- Mmn-” Kai’s face was red and he tried to curl his body inwards but was stopped by the pain in his thigh and fell backwards again.

“Here Tai you don’t have to move at all, only I will.”

“A-alright.” Kai said uneasily. 

Frederick kept going and then stopped. “Hey Tai, I think you’re ready.”

“What are you talking about?” Kai looked back up to see him taking off his underwear as well.

“No I told you I wasn’t going to-”

Somehow he managed to make a bottle of lube appear out of nowhere.

“I fucking told you Frederick!” 

“Freddy.” Frederick corrected him while squeezing out some gel onto Kai and himself. “And I can’t leave you here half finished. It would be rude and indecent of me!” 

“Fuck you. Get away from me.” Kai tried to sit up and hopefully crawl away from him, but he barely made it to sitting up before he collapsed, half due to pain from his leg, the other half he was a lot more limp from being played with than he thought. 

“Aww Tai. You’re tired and turned on. It’s adorable and hot.” Frederick said moving in closer to Kai’s face.

“Get away from me don’t touch me!” Kai covered his mouth with his forearm.

“You can’t get away that easy…” Frederick laughed while reaching forward.

Kai tried to push him off but it was too hard in his injured state. They wrestled for only a few seconds before Frederick managed to pin him down. 

Frederick bent down kissing Kai. They made out and Kai fell into a trance from this man again. Kai’s eyes half closed and his brain melted. It took him over a minute to get back to his senses. He bit down.

“Ow!” Frederick jumped back. “You bit my tongue!” 

Kai looked up at him giving him a sly grin.

“I’m too aggressive to be bottom.”

“But you were enjoying it Tai. Just try once. Come ooon…” Frederick moved himself forward so that his dick was right beside Kai’s ass.

“Stop it.” Kai tried to push him away.

“Come ooon Tai!” He started to rub again.

“Stop!” Kai pushed him off as hard as he could causing Frederick to fall backwards and stumble far away off the bed. 

At first he looked furious and Kai was scared, then a calm wave washed over his face. 

“Alright Kai I won’t do anything you don’t want to. I’ll even let you go.”

He reached down on to the floor and put his underwear back on and passed Kai’s boxers to him.

Kai carefully put them on. Frederick walked to the closet and pulled out clothes and Kai’s belongings. He threw them on to the bed.

“I’m going out. You can chose to stay or leave. I won’t bother about you repaying any sort of debt. But if you need anything, or you're hurt, don’t hesitate to come here again. Here.” 

He reached to the side dresser near his bed and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote something down and handed it to Kai.

“This is the code to get into my building. Use it wisely.”

He pulled out clothes from his closet and put them on. Kai watched him while holding the paper limply. He didn't know what to say or what to do.

“Bye Tai.” 

He left the room fast. Kai was left alone. He wasted no time in putting on his clothes, gathering his stuff, and leaving.


	7. Chapter 7: Open Up to Me

Kai had walked back from, oddly, the really nice rich part of the city where Frederick’s apartment had been. He found himself in Sasha's bar. He sat down and let out a long sigh.

“Are you okay Kai?” 

He heard a familiar voice from across the room.

Tala slid into the booth he was sitting at.

“Are you okay? Since that club are you alright?” Tala asked talking fast and filled with worry.

“Yeah I’m fine. I ended up going home with the gang leader though. That was pretty interesting.”

“Kai that’s a terrible idea.”

“I know.” Kai sighed.

“Do you wanna take a walk Kai?” Tala asked reminding Kai of old times they had when they would just walk the streets in the dark listening to only the cars in the distance. 

“Sure. Some fresh air might do me good.” 

They walked down the street with their breath forming clouds around them.

“You aren’t going to see him again right Kai?”

“Who?”

“That gang leader! That’s really dangerous you know.”

“Yeah… I don’t think I will.”

Tala stopped abruptly.

“Kai… Why are you limping so much?” 

“What do you mean?” Kai pretended to be confused.

“Your leg. You’ve injured it. How?” 

Kai looked to the ground then back up.

“Um. I hit it…”

“Bullshit.” Tala said obviously pissed.

Kai sighed.

“I got stuck in… Well I got stuck in a gang battle. I got shot-”

“You got fucking shot!?” Tala said angry and in disbelief. 

“Yeah… It wasn’t that bad-”

“How can getting shot not be bad!? What the hell Kai?”

“It’s okay Tala!”

“No it’s not Kai. You like getting hurt, you like feeling pain. You were never like this before what changed? You went to highschool in Japan then you went to Britain for college- What changed!? What the hell happened!?”

Kai was silent.

“Answer me!?” Tala begged him. His angry expression turned sad as he begged Kai to open up to him.

“I’m just…” Kai’s voice echoed through the empty streets. Their breaths were heavy and the clouds they made were thick.

“I’m just really really… I don’t know.” Kai admitted.

“Can you just admit it already?” Tala begged desperately.

“What?” Kai asked with legitimate curiosity.

“That you love him.”

“Love who?” Kai asked stupidly.

“You know who I mean.”

_He means Tyson._

“I have no idea who you’re talking about!”

“Just admit that you regret leaving him and that you love him!”

“Who do you mean!?” Kai screamed at him but his brain etched different thoughts in his mind.

_He means Tyson. You regret Tyson._

“You can always go back!” Tala yelled at Kai.

I can’t go back. I can’t hurt him anymore. Besides he loves someone else now.

“I can’t!” Kai tried to yell but he croaked. 

“Kai…” Tala tried to walk up to him, maybe to touch him, or to comfort him in some way.

Kai pulled back. “Don’t touch me.”

“Kai.” Tala’s eyes were glazed over.

“I- I have to leave.” Kai backed up.

“Kai don’t!-”

“I have to go now. I’m sorry.”

Kai turned around and started running at full pace away from Tala away from his issues. He needed to get away again.


	8. Chapter 8: Falling for the Devil's Tricks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> R-18, more s3x sorry not sorry.

Kai limped through the streets. It had been a day or two. It was evening now and getting very dark.

He was lost in the bad side of town, the side he didn’t recognize. 

_Fuck._

He found an open bar and walked in with ease. He had no money but decided to sit down anyways mostly to get warm in the bar, the air outside was way too cold. It was fall now. 

He leaned on the table sleepily. He was aware that there were bad characters in this bar but he ignored them. He was too tired, confused, and sad to be bothered.

“Hey are you going to order anything?” The angry large bartender asked. 

Kai simply looked at him and looked back down.

“No money no service. Get out.” the bartender added.

When Kai didn't move he felt a heavy grip under his arms and he started to be dragged towards the door.

“Ow ow ow!” His leg was burning. Everything hurt. 

He was literally thrown out the door and landed on his side in the street. He had road rash from the pavement on his arms. He was covered in specks of red, and pain. 

_“Shit.”_

Kai didn’t bother getting up he just stayed half sitting up on his side. 

_If I had a home to go to… I wish I was there._

Against all odds Kai pulled himself up and stood on both his feet, with most of his weight on one leg. 

_I am lost. I am in pain. I just need someone. Anyone._

His mind landed on something warm. Someone with soft darker skin, and a dorky smile. He pushed it away. 

Kai could feel so many emotions at once. He tried to push them all away, but it was too hard. 

He didn’t think he would be back here, at all, let alone so soon. He knocked on the door, tired from climbing the stairs, after punching in the entry code.

The door opened.

Frederick stood there motionless. Kai looked at him through an emotionless expression that still managed to show pain.

“Do me.”

“What was that Tai?”

“Fuck me, do me, do whatever you please.”

_I don’t care anymore._

“Really Tai?”

Kai nodded.

Frederick wasted no time. He grabbed him by the waist and pulled Kai into him making out with him fiercely. He pulled him into the apartment, the door closed behind them and they quickly moved to the bedroom. Frederick pushed Kai down. He made a soft thump into the sheets as he crash landed on the bed. 

Frederick climbed on top of him and they kissed again and again, taking off each other’s clothes at the speed of light. 

Before Kai knew it they were in the same position they were before Kai left. Except now they were going further. 

Frederick said no words as he lubed Kai down and started to get inside.

“Fuck-” Kai wasn’t expecting the odd feeling.

Frederick kept on going and moving slow at first then faster and deeper. It was a feeling Kai had never felt before. He felt pain, but pleasure at the same time. He felt overwhelmed. His face was red and his whole body felt limp and beaten. He liked it. 

“Shit- Fred-”

Frederick leaned down as he pounded him and started to bite on Kai’s neck and then lower to his chest. He had bite marks all over him now. 

“You’re almost there Tai.” Frederick leaned into Kai’s lips and kissed him, biting his lower lip as he pulled away. “I can taste it.”

Frederick grabbed Kai’s dick and started to rub it. Kai let out a loud noise. He was already panting heavily, but now he was practically moaning. 

“Let out more noise if you have to, it’s sound proof in here no one can hear-”

Kai felt his other hand drag down over his thigh and over the bandages over his leg. Frederick grabbed his leg forcefully around the badges. It hurt, but Kai’s emotions felt mixed, he couldn’t tell if he liked it or hated it. 

“Ah! Fuck!-” Kai let go completely and yelled. His mouth opened wide and he left it agape. 

Frederick only continued for a few more moments before he pushed himself deeper into Kai leaving himself there and closing one eye while moving his body closer to Kai. He pulled away from him and pulled out.

“Well Tai we both made a mess…”

Kai was laying on the bed trying to catch his breath. He felt more exhausted than he had in ages. 

“We’re going to have to take a shower- Oh but with your leg, I’ll have to sponge bathe you.”

“I’ve been taking regular showers it’s fine.” Kai managed to wheeze out and breathe harder putting one hand over his chest.

“You shouldn’t be, you can get an infection. Let me see.”

Frederick tried to reach for Kai’s bandages. Kai tried to pull away but Frederick got to him faster than he could flee. He reached under his bandages and unwrapped them. He looked at the shot wound and bit his lip.

“It looks worse than it is trust me. But it’s still not healing well.”

“What the fuck am I supposed to do?” Kai asked angrily. 

“Just wait here.” Frederick said while putting on clothes.

Frederick left the room. Kai used this time to put on his boxers and his shirt.

He came back holding a metal box, it was a first aid kit. He propped it up on the bed and opened it; there looked to be a lot more hardcore chemicals that a regular first aid kit would have.

“What's in there?” Kai asked.

“Some regular shit, then some crazy shit.” Frederick said while pulling up a tube with a needle and filling it. 

“What is tha!-” Kai felt a sharp pain in his leg. Frederick had jabbed the needle into it.

“Ow! What the Fuck!.”

“It will help you not feel a lot of pain.”

“But what is it!? Stop drugging me all the time!” 

Frederick only laughed while covering a piece of cloth with liquid from a bottle.”

“What is that?” Kai asked again.

“It’s going to clean the wound. It hasn’t closed very well yet, but it’s getting there. Since you’ve been so rough with it and dirty it has to be cleaned and redressed.”

“Where did you get all this stuff!?”

“Remember how I said I used to be a doctor?” 

“Yeah…” Kai trailed off.

“There’s a reason I’m not anymore, this might hurt-”

“Ow!” Kai yelled as Frederick applied the wet cloth to Kai’s wound. 

He continued to use other things to clean it. Then he redressed it again with clean bandages. 

“Thanks… But serious question.”

“What is it Tai?”

“You obviously make a lot of money. But you’re leader of a gang, so, how?”

Frederick laughed at Kai’s question. 

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.”

“You just try me.” Kai smirked. 

Frederick turned around and reached into his bedside table cabinet and pulled out an object.

“Jesus why do you have that in there!?” Kai freaked out.

“You’ll see, it’s on safety, here.” Frederick handed Kai the pistol.

Kai took it again, suddenly realizing this was the second time this man had handed him a weapon. 

“What am I looking at here.” 

“Have you heard of the Hiwatari company?” 

The hair on Kai’s back stood on end at the sound of the name.

“No, but it sounds Japanese.” Kai tried to keep his cool.

“I’m surprised you're from Japan and haven’t heard of them. Well, they have their main headquarters in Japan and Russia, all over the world too but mainly there. Very well known, very rich. They specialize in military grade stuff mostly. From kitchen appliances to children's toys to nuclear weapons. And I used to work for them. Now I have my connections, I take what I need, and I sell the rest.”

“And they haven't caught you?” Kai said in disbelief.

“Nope.”

“Interesting.”

“I’d do so much more if I could.” Frederick grinned menacingly. 

“What do you mean?” 

“There are so many things in this world to exploit, Tai. If I could only get my hands on the Hiwatari company’s top man's grandchild… Apparently he’s the only family he has. Which makes sense why he’s a complete enigma, he’s kept them a secret for so long. If I could just get my hands on him… I could blackmail them. Then I could make some serious money.”

“That sure is a plan.” Kai said it as confidently as possible, but he was secretly uneasy.

“Oh you know it.” Frederick winked at him. “We could do crazy things to him together. Torture him, take pictures, send them off…”

“But enough of that Tai, let's go take a shower!”


	9. Chapter 9: Trapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> R-18 yes, more rough s3x  
> TW: Violence

It continued like that for days, weeks maybe, Kai lost track of time after awhile. Kai stayed at Frederick’s place 24/7. Occasionally he would leave to go do ‘business’ and Kai would welcome him home with a kiss, and almost always some rough sex. 

They were laying down again. Well, Kai was on his back and Frederick sat on his stomach. He grabbed Kai’s hands and was acting very playful, which Kai felt was very out of character for him.

“What?” Kai asked.

“I was just wondering… Do you love me Tai?”

Kai stood motionless for a second. He was in a bad position right now, if he did say no he could get hurt- then he thought more.

_If I’m scared of him… If I’m afraid I'm going to get hurt, and I don’t really enjoy being with him. Then I don’t love him._

“I don’t. No. I don’t love you.”

Frederick’s face turned to pure anger at Kai’s response. 

“Why? Do you love me?” Kai turned the question back at him. He wasn’t expecting it.

Frederick got angry. He reached up to Kai’s collarbones with both his hands and curled in his fingers. Kai could feel his nails on his skin, they were longer than expected. 

Frederick dug his nails in and dragged his hands down Kai’s chest. It hurt, Kai just clenched his teeth. 

“Tai I’m going to mess you up so bad a hot shower won’t be enough.”

In Kai’s confusion and pain he mumbled the first thought that came to his head.

“...Tyson liked… Hot showers-” 

“What was that?” Frederick asked while tilting his head.

Kai’s eyes widened. He didn’t mean to say it, he hadn’t meant to say anything.

“Nothing!-” 

Frederick dragged the back of his hands up Kai’s chest.

“Who the fuck is Tyson!?” Frederick yelled into Kai’s face while placing both his hands on Kai’s neck.

“Kai tried to answer but found he couldn’t. Frederick was pressing on his neck too hard.”

_Freddy stop it! It hurts! I can’t breath I can’t talk! We’ve done stuff like this but never like this- He’s going to kill me._

Kai tried to scream but could only choke. He looked into Frederick’s dark unwavering eyes. He began to see stars and his vision started to go black at the corners.

_I’m going to die here._

Then, right before Kai passed out Frederick abruptly let go and pulled away crawling off the bed. Kai sat up and held his throat coughing and trying to get air back in his lungs. 

“What the actual hell Frederick!” Kai yelled at him with a dry throat.

“That’s Freddy to you. Leave if you don’t like it.” 

Frederick was turned around towards the wall. Kai got off the bed and grabbed all his clothes and belongings.

“Alright I will.”

Right before Kai left the room he swung his head to look at Frederick. 

“You’re fucking crazy you know that right?” 

Frederick turned to his bedpost and grabbed whatever was on it, which happened to be an alarm clock, and threw it in Kai’s direction.

“Are you fucking serious!?” Kai yelled while leaving the room as fast as possible.

“You’re going to regret this Tai! One day you’re going to regret not loving me if it’s the last thing you do!” Frederick yelled after him as Kai exited out the front door and ran at fast pace down the stairs and out of the apartment.


	10. Chapter 10: Going to Moscow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait- you get to see Tyson now I promise. <3

_Who is knocking this early in the morning?_

_Oh god it won’t stop. Stop knocking so loudly at least._

He rolled out of bed sleepily and sat up. He gathered himself together before standing up. As he walked down the stairs he ran his fingers through his long hair. When he opened the door it was someone he would never have expected in his whole life.

“Voltaire?” 

“Tyson! I need to talk to you, is it alright if I come in?”

Tyson was stunned. But he welcomed him in without questioning it. 

They sat on opposite couches in the living room. Tyson brought out a tray with his Grandfather’s favourite teapot and cups.

“Sorry the cups are mismatched…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Voltaire looked around the room. “You’ve done very well for yourself since your Grandpa passed. I’m proud of you.”

Tyson leaned back while waiting for the tea to seep.

“It hasn’t been easy… I work two jobs. One as a waiter and one in retail. I would like to start up his classes again but I just don’t have the confidence.”

There was an awkward silence as Voltaire looked around the room again. 

“So…” Tyson leaned forward and started to pour tea. “I apologize for my appearance, I just woke up.” He slid a cup towards Voltaire and poured one for himself. He took a sip. 

“I don’t want to be rude and get straight to the point… But why are you here? The Grandfather of my old bestfriend that is…” 

“It’s about Kai.” 

“Of course it is.”

Tyson answered back with an attitude but started to regret it when he read an expression on Voltaire’s face that wasn’t like him. He was worried. The more Tyson looked at him up and down he noticed how disheveled he looked. 

“Are you okay Voltaire?” Tyson asked uneasily. He knew Kai never liked him, he was careful to calculate his actions around him. 

Voltaire sighed and picked up the cup of tea with shaky hands.

“Have you heard anything from Kai recently? As in the past year or so?”

“I haven’t heard anything from him in a few years, why? Not since his first year or two of University…” 

Voltaire’s leg shook and he looked to the side. 

“I was under the impression that he didn't like me anymore, that’s why he stopped talking to me…”

“Oh no no, that was definitely not it. He liked you very much you were very important to him.”

“So why did he stop?” Tyson asked abruptly.

“He stopped everything. A year ago he phoned me and ran away. He trashed his phone. I thought it would be easy to find him. But it’s proving more difficult than I thought. He is completely off the map, off the radar. I can't find him. I’m worried. I’m going to every connection everywhere in the world and trying to see who he could be with where he could be. I know that you were very important to him. I thought maybe you might know, but if he hasn’t had communication with even you…” 

Voltaire put both his hands to his face and pulled them down slowly. 

“I have no idea where he is. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Tyson sat back in the couch. 

“I will admit that I’m sour about him.”

“Why?”

“Before he left I admitted my feelings and he ignored them. I loved him, and he left me. I felt like he ran away from me, but the more I think about it, I think he ran away from his feelings rather than me.”

“Do you still care for him?” Voltaire asked.

Tyson thought for a moment and closed his eyes.

“I don’t know. It’s been so long. Some days I feel like I miss him, others I feel like if he doesn’t want me than I can live without him. But I don’t know.”

Voltaire looked him up and down.

“Are you dating anyone right now?”

“That’s a little personal… But no, we broke up a few months ago.”

“How come?” 

“I don’t know. I broke up with him, he was needy and not really… My type…”

There was a slight silence.

Tyson thought about the situation. He thought about Kai.

_Where would he go? He often wants to be alone. I know he is a very independent person, he likes his alone time, but he doesn’t like to be lonely._

_He likes freedom._

_He doesn’t like to be tied down._

_Who would he go to…_

“Did he take any money out of your account before he ran away?” Tyson asked obviously trying to piece the mystery together.

“He took a little bit. His account is connected to my account. I would have known if he had taken anything reasonable though. He was broke.” 

Tyson put his hand to his chin. 

_Who would he go to?_

“He must be couch surfing then. Unless he got a job somewhere and is living comfortably. But for some reason…” Tyson trailed off.

_I doubt it. I know Kai. I know his personality._

Then it clicked.

“Have you tried Russia?”

“I do have people scouting the Moscow. But it’s hard to find one boy in such a big place.” 

“I think that’s where he is.”

“You sound pretty confident, why?” 

“Do you have any way to get in contact with Tala?”

“Tala why- oh.”

It clicked for both of them at the same time. Kai has always had the potential to be self-destructive, and in university he was living the life and following the kind of path that Tala was on. It seemed like the most logical place to go if you had no one around you or anywhere to escape to.

“Tyson. What would you think of coming with me to Russia?”

“Why would I-”

Kai’s Grandfather sat up straight.

“Let's say I find Kai. What do you think is the likelihood that he will just follow me back home?”

“None if it’s you.” 

“Exactly. But I think… He would go if it was you calling him back.”

“That does make sense…”

“Then it’s settled. We’re going to Russia.”


	11. Chapter 11: I'm Stronger

Kai had nowhere to go. He was filled with emotions he couldn’t recognize, or deal with. He didn’t know what to do, and eventually found himself walking in the direction of Sasha's bar.

He opened the door and heard the little bell ring. There was a familiar scent and a comfy vibe as he saw Sasha at the counter. It was empty because it was so early. 

“Tala’s not here?” Kai asked while cautiously sitting down.

“No. Hasn’t been here in a few days. How are you Kai? Do you want your usual?”

“Naw I can’t… No money. Just give me your cheapest.”

Sasha prepared something and slid it to him.

“Hey this is-”

“On the house.” Sasha gave him a reassuring smile. 

“Thank you.”

Kai felt a warm feeling rise in his stomach. He hadn’t felt this kind of sympathy in a while, he was starved for it. 

“How is being with Frederick treating you?”

Kai almost coughed on his drink.

“How do you know about him?!” 

Sasha sighed. “I heard it from Tala.”

There was a moment of silence while Kai studied Sasha’s expressions.

“I never told him his name.”

“Shit…” Sasha placed his hands on the table. 

Kai saw Sasha do something he never had before. He poured something into a shot glass and drank it.

“You’ve never done that on shift…” Kai pointed out.

“Nope.” 

“Do you know him?” Kai asked while observing the vibes Sasha gave off. He was more uncomfortable than Kai had ever seen him before.

“I did actually.”

“And?”

Sasha tried to gather himself.

“I dated him actually- Well- If you could call it dating.”

Kai opened his mouth to agree but stopped.

“He did the same thing to a bunch of boys. I’m just afraid you’re in the same boat.” 

They both stopped in their tracks.

Kai asked deadpan, “what did he do to you?” 

“He- Well he… I met him after he had saved me from being beaten on the streets. He was beautiful, absolutely stunning, I fell for him right away. We went to a bar, he gave me a drink. I knew there was something up with him, he was important somehow, but after he got me drunk enough I didn’t care. I stayed at his apartment that night, he was… Rough- really really rough. I didn’t like it.”

Kai looked into his drink expressionless.

“How much did you drink?” 

“That’s an odd question… I’m not so sure but now that I think about it, it couldn’t have been that much…”

“I see.” Kai took a sip and placed the drink back down with a soft clink.

“Then after I left thinking it was a one time thing he found me again. He said he had been looking for me, and that I had to repay him for all the booze he bought me. He told me all I had to do was follow him and hang out with him, I assumed it was like a date.”

“It wasn’t.” 

“No. Not at all. I ended up in a battlefield. Everything was in chaos, There was a bullet fired out of nowhere- I got shot.”

“You got shot!?” Kai asked surprised. 

“Yeah. When I asked the other boys he had seduced if they got hurt they all had, in different ways but majorly hurt the same. He took me back to his apartment, healed me up, and I was physically forced to stay there for many days until I was healed enough to leave. But in that time… I don’t know I- I did fall for him. There was something about him- I don’t see it now, but back then I was young, it was indescribable, the connection I felt, was so extreme…” 

Kai nodded knowing exactly what he meant. 

“He asked me one day if I loved him. I hesitated but then I said yes. After only a few days I told him I wanted to be with him forever. After I confessed my feelings he kicked me out to the curb. He doesn’t love love, he loves other people’s pain. He makes boys love him and then he tears them down, he gets off on it, but he's never truly loved them.”

Kai picked up his drink and chugged it.

“Honestly… I got hurt too.”

“Really? Where? I’m not really surprised…”

“Shot in the thigh.”

“Damn. Mine was the calf.”

“So he did it on purpose. I already knew he drugged me the first time I met him. It wasn’t a strong drug, probably some kind of ecstasy or something. Anyways, yesterday he asked me if I loved him.”

“And what did you say?” Sasha said assuming he knew the answer.

“I said I didn’t. I had no feelings for him.

“Holy shit. What happened?”

“He got really angry. He tried to choke me, I- I was scared. I ran away.”

“I’m sorry Kai.”

“It's okay. It’s my fault for getting involved with him anyways.” Kai exhaled and closed his eyes.

“Kai… He’s a very powerful man, he will find you.” 

Kai stood up.

“Then I should be leaving then. But don’t worry Sasha…” 

Kai turned leaving.

“Why?” Sasha called after him.

“Because I’m stronger.”


	12. Chapter 12: Old Friends

“Where the fuck am I?” 

Tala felt a whoosh flow around his head as the bag was thrown off his head. The lights were bright and he squinted his eyes. 

“Who the hell!?-”

“Sorry Tala!” 

Tala heard a soothing familiar voice.

“We didn’t think you would come willingly.” 

Tala heard a threatening familiar voice. 

“Voltaire? Tyson?” 

Tala’s eyes adjusted to the light. He was sitting on a couch in a fancy hotel. There were two security guards standing by the door while Voltaire and Tyson sat on a couch opposite him. Sunlight streamed through the windows against his face. 

“Sorry Tala! I didn’t want to be so rough! Hey Voltaire can they leave now?” 

Voltaire waved his hands and the guards left the room.

“Now we’re alone! Tala how have you been?” Tyson asked in a friendly tune.

“Pretty good… The usual…” Tala answered uneasily. 

“Let's cut to the chase.” Voltaire leaned forward, Tyson rolled his eyes.

“Have you seen my Grandson?”

“Can’t say I have.” Tala answered back with attitude. 

“Voltaire! I told you don’t!-”

Tyson glared at Voltaire who looked back at him.

“Fine!” Voltaire yelled at Tyson and stood up, leaving the room.

“Sorry Tala.”

“No problem.”

“I know you don’t like him…” 

Tala awkwardly folded his hands together as his eyes aimlessly darted around the room.

“Do you know where Kai is?” Tyson asked without changing his face.

“I- Don’t.” 

“Tala… Please… I may be with his Grandfather right now to look for him but- He is really important to me. I want to know that he is safe…” 

Tyson’s eyes glazed over. He only just now noticed how much he still cared for Kai, regardless of how long it has been since he last saw him. 

Tala sighed.

“I know. You’re really important to him too. He stole my phone and stalked your social media pages once- before I deleted my accounts- and I think he was really upset when he found out you were dating someone.” 

Tala tried to smile, but it just came out an awkward sad looking smirk.

“I’m not dating anyone anymore, but that doesn’t matter. I just want to know where he is, if he’s in Russia, if he’s in Moscow- If he’s doing okay, if he’s eating alright, if he misses Japanese food, if he misses me…” Tyson looked down to the floor suddenly overwhelmed with emotions. 

“You do love him.”

Tyson looked up abruptly, “god yes, I loved him so much, so so so much. When he left it tore me apart more than I could bare. I don’t even know if I forgive him, or if I still care for him I just want- I want to see him again. To know he’s okay.”

“He is in Moscow.”

Tyson looked up at him.

“You deserve to know. He is in Moscow, where in Moscow I have no idea, but he is here. I haven’t seen him in a while though.”

“And he’s okay!?” Tyson asked loudly.

Tala looked to his side. He didn’t want to lie, but he also didn’t want to hurt Tyson either. 

Tyson felt a pain in his chest.

“He’s not doing well is he?” 

Tala simply shook his head, unable to give him an answer in audible words. 

“He’s so hurt…” Tala covered his face in his hands. “Please find him soon.”

Tyson walked over to the couch Tala was sitting on and sat beside him putting his arm over him. 

“We will. With your help and everyone looking, we will find him.”


	13. Chapter 13: Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Death  
> TW: Suicide attempt insinuated

It was dark, light, dark again, then colours streamed through the room everywhere. The music blasted through Kai’s ears from one side to another. A boy around Kai’s age was trying to seduce him from the other side of the club. Kai walked up to him and before he knew it they were in the back alley making out. 

Kai shoved him against the wall. He was rougher than he usually would have been. He needed to get all his frustrations out from never being dominant with Frederick. the boy didn’t like it that rough and pushed him away playfully. Kai grinned from a few meters away and went to advance on him again. 

It all happened so fast, Kai barely had time to process it. The boy fell to his side after a loud bang, Kai’s ears were ringing, and he was covered head to toe in a spray of blood. He looked to the ground, the boy’s eyes were wide open and he had a huge headshot wound in his right temple. Blood trickled out slowly into a pool underneath him. Kai turned in the direction of the bullet.

“Who the fuck!?” 

Kai could feel his whole body shake.

“It’s just me Kai don’t worry.”

A man emerged from the shadow of the alleyway. It was the exact man Kai imagined, Frederick. 

“Frederick. Get the fuck away from me.” Kai said sternly while taking a cautious step back. 

Frederick had a wicked smirk on his face. His lips spread ear to ear and he held the gun loosely with the safety off.

“It’s Freddy to you remember Tai! And I told you, you would regret not loving me. No one's ever not loved me before…”

He laughed and arched his back.

“Okay Freddy just drop the gun…” 

“No! I won’t! And I’m perfectly sane, you have nothing to worry about.” Frederick laughed as he put the gun back under his jacket. 

“You killed this boy with a Hiwatari gun?”

“Yes, but what does the brand matter to you?” 

Kai tried to keep his eyes off both Frederick and the dead boy. He never wanted his Grandfather's weapons to be used to kill in such a way.

“You’ll regret this Frederick.”

“Freddy, and I was the first to say you’ll regret it…” 

“No, you’ll really regret it.”  
It was that moment where something clicked in Kai. It was nighttime and the sky had been covered in smog for months, he hadn't seen the stars in years since he lived in Japan. He had the body of a dead boy laying beside him who had so much potential but it was all wasted because of Kai’s stupid choices. He had ruined his life, and he had given up.

Something had clicked, and the gears in his body stopped, and he no longer cared about anything anymore. 

“You know who I am right?” Kai titled his head back as his dead eyes opened wide and he gave off a cocky smile.

“You’re Tai, a cute boy I found on the streets and made my own. Nothing more.”

“My name is not Tai.”

“Excuse me?!”

“My name is Kai.”

“Big fucking difference.” Frederick said angrily.

“My full name is Kai Hiwatari, Heir to the Hiwatari company, and gay rogue runaway.”

Kai grinned slyly.

“No fucking way.” Frederick said under his breath. “No fucking way!” Frederick yelled while running towards Kai.

Kai turned around and bolted it down the streets. He could feel the adrenaline rush through his head, then his veins, then every corner of his body.

“My name is Kai Hiwatari! Just try to fucking catch me Frederick!” He yelled over his shoulder.

Kai ran for ages, he slipped through alleyways and zigzagged through the city towards a familiar neighborhood. There was no sign of Frederick behind him. 

He sighed and walked towards Sasha’s bar.

_I should visit one last time._

He looked down at the blood on his shirt.

_Good thing I’m wearing another shirt underneath…_

Kai took off the bloody shirt and threw it in the corner of the street and started to walk into Sasha’s bar.

It was packed. He came at peak hours which normally would have been a mistake. It was very rowdy. Everyone was angry and throwing things at each other. Sasha was nowhere to be seen. 

Kai spotted red hair.

“Tala!” He walked towards him and opened his arms.

“Kai!” Tala sounded very surprised.

They hugged each other. To Tala it felt like Kai’s hug was slightly extended. 

They finally pulled apart and Tala looked him up and down.

“Wow you look a little roughed up… And sweaty, have you been running?”

“A little bit.” Kai shrugged his shoulders.

Kai fell forward into Tala as some guy pushed him.

“Watch where the hell you’re going idiot!” The man yelled at Kai.  
Kai pulled himself up and grabbed the guy by his shoulder flipping him around to look at him.

“Excuse me?” Kai asked with attitude as if he was trying to start a fight.

It was unlike him, Tala noticed right away. 

“You wanna fight pretty boy? I’ll kill you.”

“Sure, bring it, do your worst.” 

Kai pushed the man away and extended his arms, forming a ‘T’ shape with his body. A crowd surrounded them in a circle. 

“Kai don’t!” Tala called out to him but Kai ignored him. He was used to fighting, but right now he wanted to be hurt.

The man ran forward, Kai didn't even dodge. He just stood there. The man picked him up and smashed him into the ground, without Kai making any effort to stop it; even though Tala knew very well he could. 

“Kai!” Tala tried to run forward but was pushed back by the crowd. “Hey! Get the hell out of my way!.” 

Tala could just barely see through a crevice between two people.

The man picked up Kai and threw him over his shoulder flipping him over. Kai fell limply to the ground.

Tala screamed at the top of his lungs. He heard the bartender yell at everyone. The crowd went into chaos people were shouting, people were running, Tala couldn’t find Kai. 

The bar cleared out faster than expected, Tala ran up to the bar and saw Sasha looking frazzled. 

“Where’s Kai!?” 

“I think I saw him walk up to the roof- Isn’t he just going for a smoke or something!?” 

“He doesn’t smoke like that!” 

Tala turned and ran towards the roof exit and pulled out his phone as fast as possible. He dialed Tyson’s number which was thank god in the recently called list. He ran up the stairs which went up a few stories.

“Hello? Tala?”

“Tyson! I need you here now! The roof, Sasha’s bar, Kai doesn’t care anymore, he's too hurt and I need you now.”

“Shit I’ll be there. Voltaire!” 

Everything was in such a rush. Tala ran up the stairs as his lungs burned but he kept going. Everything around him was a blur, he couldn’t think straight. 

When he got to the top he threw open the door.

“Kai!” He yelled throughout the cement roof hearing it echo as his breath came out in heavy thick clouds.

He was angry that his first thought was to thank god there were metal wire mesh fences around the roof.  
But there was one area that didn't have any fences. It was a few feet long. There was a large step before the edge of the roof fell into the dark street of the city. Kai was standing on the thin step on the edge of the building. The step was only about a foot high, but the fall was much worse.

“Kai! Oh thank god you’re here, I was so worried I-” 

Tala was terrified, his lungs burned from breathing in the cold air.

“Get down from there! Please!” 

Tala felt his eyes burning. Kai was turned away from him, he couldn’t see his face.

“Kai! Talk to me! At least! Please!” 

Kai was wearing only a tattered tank top. He had bruises all over him. His hair had grown out slightly and was still dyed from cheap black dyes. 

“I’m sorry I didn't notice how far gone you were! I’m sorry there's nothing I can do! I’m sorry! I’m sorry-”

Tala heard steps coming up the stairs. He hoped with every part of him that it was Tyson and Voltaire. 

Before he knew it he was surrounded by body guards with Voltaire and Tyson beside him. 

Kai hadn’t moved. It was Voltaire who spoke first.

“Tala’s right Kai. Please get back here. I care about you, please come back.” 

Kai wouldn’t move. He just stood there.

“I’m sorry Kai.” Voltaire pleaded, and actually did sound sorry, it was a general apology, but better than anything Kai had ever got.

They could swear they saw Kai flinch, but it could have just been the wind. 

Voltaire looked to Tyson, who also looked stone cold. He looked unblinking at Kai. Voltaire placed a hand gently on Tyson’s shoulder and slowly pushed him forward as if to say ‘please help’. 

Tyson tried to get a little closer. 

“Kai?”

Kai’s whole body seemed to shiver at his voice.

“You must be cold. I have an extra jacket you could borrow. It’s thick and has insulation inside, it will keep you really cozy…”

Kai moved his head. “Tyson… Is that you?” He asked in a voice that seemed to shake and shiver, from the cold, and a hoarse voice. 

He shook his head.

“No no I’m just crazy.”

“You’re not crazy Kai I’m right here…” 

“The likelihood that you would come now, is next to impossible. I’m hallucinating I’m crazy.” 

“You’re not crazy.”

“Yes! Yes I am!” Kai’s voice started to crack.

“Well maybe if you turned around and looked at me.”

Kai stood still for a while. 

“You can’t tell me you’re not cold. You look frozen! If you-” 

Tyson wanted to be delicate, he didn’t want to tell him to come near him.

Tyson took a delicate step forward.

“Remember that time…” He took one more step sliding gently on the ground so Kai knew he was there, “We were in our dorm, and the heater went out?” He took another step, and another, “And we stayed together all night just gathering each other’s warmth.” Another step. “It was so cozy, the clean sheets, the smell of you, and me, how cozy it was, and best of all, we got to be together all night, we never-”

Tyson took a deep breath and was right behind Kai now. He slowly reached forward. 

“We never got separated.”

He dragged his hand down Kai’s back and let it lay there.

“And now we found each other again…”

Tyson looked at Kai’s back. It felt frozen.

“You must be cold-”

At Tyson’s last sentence Kai turned around and fell into Tyson. Tyson grabbed him, right after he slipped off the edge. His arms were around Tyson’s neck. Kai burrowed his face into Tyson’s shoulder sobbing.

“I’m sorry Tyson! I’m sorry Tala, I’m sorry Grandfather. I just couldn’t do it… I’m sorry for leaving you Tyson I never wanted to I just didn’t want you to get hurt- I was so scared, so scared someone would find you because of me someone would hurt you or you would get taken from me- Now you’re dating someone and I’m so angry- I want to be him I want to be with you I’m so frustrated so jealous so pissed off. I just didn’t want anything anymore everything was too much- I’m sorry- I’m sorry- I’m sorry…”

Kai talked fast through gross sobs into Tyson. Tyson held him around his waist and pulled him closer.  
“I’m glad you’re okay Kai. Also, I’m not dating anyone…”

At those words Kai held Tyson tighter. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

“It’s okay Kai. It’s okay! What do you say we all go back to a hotel? We’ll all get a good night’s sleep okay?” Tyson said gently but in a familiar soothing voice into Kai’s ear while leaning his cheek against Kai’s head. 

Kai rubbed his face gently against Tyson’s chest.

“As long as I can kind of stay like this...”

“Of course Kai, of course.”


	14. Chapter 14: Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get better from here on out yall <3

“He’s been sleeping for ages.”

“He’s still there just give him a while he must be exhausted.”

Voltaire was growing impatient sitting round the hotel in Russia doing nothing. Tyson tried his hardest to calm him down while trying to level out the situation. He especially didn’t want Voltaire to get angry at Kai, it would only make him feel worse.

Tala was there too. He sat on a bay window seat looking over the city out of the fancy hotel.

Tyson moved over to him and sat beside him.

“How are you doing?” He asked Tala calmly with a smile on his face.

“How… How are you so collected?” Tala asked Tyson in a quiet but serious voice.

“I don’t know… That’s a good question.” Tyson thought for a second. “I guess it’s because I’m… Oddly happy? I guess?”

Tala and even Voltaire looked to him both giving him disgusted looks.

“How are you happy?” Tala asked scowling.

“Hmmm… Well it’s like- I finally get to see him again. I know he's alive. I know he’s okay. And it might be a little stuck up of me to say this- but I feel like now that we are together… Kai won’t be so self-destructive anymore. But I guess that's too optimistic and selfish to say… That it's because of me.”

Tyson looked to the side suddenly looking sad. Tala let his shoulders sag.

“I understand what you mean. And I think you will make him happy again. At least I hope so.” Tala smiled trying to cheer Tyson up.

Tyson looked up at him, colour flashed through his eyes thanking Tala for the reassurance. 

They heard a door open and all looked towards it. 

Kai came through rubbing his eyes with his fist.

“You’re up!” Tyson yelled while jumping up and running towards him opening his arms and pulling him into a tight hug. Kai looked over his shoulder at Tala and his Grandfather, while wrapping his arms around Tyson’s waist.

“Sorry for sleeping so long…” He said in a sad cracked voice.

“Don’t worry about it you deserve your sleep.” Tyson said while pulling away.

Kai let his hand slowly slide off Tyson, as if he didn’t want to pull away. Voltaire stood up.

“Kai we have a lot we have to do today.” 

Kai frowned. Tyson was surprised.

“Do what!?” Tyson asked with attitude. 

“Well first I want all of us to eat breakfast. Then I have an appointment for doctors to come look at Kai for a full checkup…”

“Why!?” Tyson asked with a snarl on his face.

Tala was actually the first to butt in.

“It’s okay Tyson, don’t worry about it.” 

Tala gave Kai a side glance; Kai nodded. 

“I’ll do it.” Kai agreed to his Grandfather without disagreeing once. It was an odd turnabout. 

“Well breakfast first!” Voltaire said attempting to sound cheerful while staring everyone down in the room.

They had moved into a different room of the hotel with a larger table with food already prepared on it. Everyone sat down near each other and started to stack up their plates. 

Everyone but Kai. 

He just sort of sat there holding a fork and looking off into the table. 

“Kai? Are you okay?” Tyson nudged him with the edge of his elbow. 

Kai seemed to get out of his trance and looked at him.

“Wha- Huh? Yeah I’m fine…” Kai said while starting to pile food on his plate.

Tyson felt bad. Because there wasn’t much he could do.

For a long while they ate in silence. But Tyson always had a habit of spicing up the mood when it was needed.

“Did you guys know about the kind of research Max and Kenny are doing in America?” 

“They are in America doing research?” Tala asked curiously. 

“Yeah they have been for a little while now. They are working tirelessly with Max’s mom’s company and the government.”

“And the Hiwatari company.” Voltaire added while putting more food on his plate.

“I thought the Hiwatari company had no use for Judy’s company?” Kai asked surprising his Grandfather with his curiosity.

“I had no idea you had so much interest in the Hiwatari company.” Voltaire shot it right back. 

Tyson gave Voltaire a dirty glare. Kai shrugged his shoulders and looked away. 

  
After breakfast they all went and sat back in the sitting room. Voltaire had welcomed in a doctor and a nurse. They were introduced to Kai and shoved into a bedroom. Voltaire ended up leaving the room entirely, leaving Tyson and Tala in one room, while Kai was on the other side of the wall with the doctors. 

“I don’t understand why he’s checking him out like this. It’s a huge invasion of his privacy, especially after- Everything that’s happened.” Tyson said angrily. 

“You know what he’s worried about right?” Tala asked Tyson thinking he already knew.

“No? He’s just nosy and gross most of the time?” 

“Naw. He’s probably afraid of Kai getting sick, or maybe even having a disease or something…”

Tyson fell silent, he had never even thought of it.

“See… I’m careful. And when I need to I go to the clinic I go. Kai on the other hand… He was so self destructive… He just never cared. This check up is good for him. Trust me. And it's good for you guys too. If you know there's nothing wrong with him there's nothing awkward.” 

“You make a good point Tala… But I’m still pissed off at the way Voltaire has been acting-”

“Oh I know! There’s no excuse for that. If anything he should be loving and reassuring, not the way he is now.”

“Can you please spell out your first and last name for me. And then write it here.”

Kai took the clipboard that was passed to him.

“In Russian, Japanese, or English?” 

“Whatever one you're most comfortable with.”

Kai wrote in Japanese since they were speaking it at the time, and because that’s what he was most comfortable with.

“K-A-I H-I-W-A-T-A-R-I.” He sounded out every syllable, and wrote it down fluidly. 

He handed the clipboard back to the doctor.

“Great thank you. Now I just have a few standard questions to ask you…” 

“Alright, ask away.” 

“Do you have any underlying health issues? Mental or physical? Anything I should know of right off the bat before starting the examinations?”

“Umm…”

Kai halted for a moment and sat awkwardly on the chair.

“I had amnesia… It still is a major part of my life I still can’t remember a whole lot of things… I recently got shot.”

“You got shot?” 

“Yeah. In the right thigh.”

“Let me see. What hospital did you go to?”

Kai thought for a moment, then decided not to lie. “None.”

Kai started to slide off his pants and pulled up his boxers slightly.

“Oh my.”

_Not a good first reaction from an actual doctor but okay._

The doctor got Kai to sit down while he bent down to examine the wound which was pretty much healed but was left with massive scarring.

“And I am hoping that the bullet was removed right?”

Kai thought back. “I think so. But I don’t think I was conscious when it happened.”

“Do you know who performed the ‘surgery’?” 

“He said he used to be a doctor, but I’m honestly not so sure if that was the truth…” 

The doctor stood up again. “We will have to do X-rays and other examinations, but for now lets just finish with these questions.” He pulled up the clipboard again. “Are you sexually active? If so with a stable partner or multiple partners? When was your last sex-”

“Hang on- Just let me put my pants back on before I answer these questions.” 

Kai put his pants back on and sat back down.

“Yes I’m sexually active, not with a stable partner, multiple, and a few days ago.” 

“Wow like a rabbit.” 

Kai heard a voice behind him and totally forgot the nurse was there.

“What?” Kai asked him.

“Nothing!” The nurse said blushing.

The doctor directed the nurse towards Kai.

“He’s just going to take your blood while I look over your charts and ask more questions.

The doctor flipped through something.

“Have you taken any medications in the past? Any kind of drugs whatsoever?”

“Um… I did try some minor antidepressants in college about two years ago, subscribed by a doctor in England. They didn’t work. Here I did come in contact with some streets drugs.”

“And how often did you use them and what kind?”

“I’m _not _an addict.”__

____

____

“I never said you were.”

“I never took drugs. Only when they were slipped to me. So I’m not so sure what anything was.” 

The Doctor gave him a concerned look before glancing back to his paper and writing something down.

“Vision problems! Any problems in that department?” 

“I need glasses for reading. Haven’t used any in about a year though.”

“Alright we will have to get you to look at some charts…..”


	15. Chapter 15: Back to the Start

“Look, all I’m trying to say is the way you’re approaching this situation is awful. Kai’s been through enough, there’s no reason for you to act like this.”

Tyson and Voltaire were starting to get into a fight. Tala stood in between them ready to be the mediator when necessary. 

They both stood a few feet apart from each other. After Voltaire complained once about Kai, Tyson went into full defense mode. 

“I have every reason to act like this-”

“What!? What possible reason could you have for acting like this?!”

“Both of you, Kai cares about you two immensely, he never meant to hurt you, but me, it seems he only did it to hurt me.”

“None of this is about you! It’s about Kai! He can’t be pushed anymore he needs a break, he needs to make his own decisions to carve his own path! Without you!”

“Tyson! I’ve known him for years! I know him better than-”

“No you don’t! If you knew him you wouldn’t have shipped him off multiple times! You don’t deserve him. I was with him constantly for our two years in highschool and knew him very well before that, I know what he needs! He needs to stay with me, and that’s what’s going to happen. When we go back to Japan he will live with me until he’s comfortable doing whatever it is you want to try to make him do-”

“And who decided this!?” Voltaire yelled over Tyson’s voice.

“I did!” Tyson threw it right back at him, “The moment you said he was missing, I was already making plans to work around however he was feeling, whatever he was feeling! Because I know him! I know how he was probably hurt and-”

“Probably hurt?” Tala stepped forward making their two way battle into a triangle.

“I knew how he was hurt! I’ve known how much he has declined and what he has even done for the past year and a half! Am I not important? You think Kai will tell you the things he did? He won’t, but I know, maybe he should come back with me?” 

Tyson scowled, feeling a rush of jealousy rise in his chest, as well as envy. He wished he had known what happened to Kai, and Tala was right, he probably wouldn’t tell him. 

“No, Russia is too toxic for him.” Voltaire told Tala in a slightly more calmer voice, but still controlling.

“Have we ever stopped and considered what Kai wants?!?” Tyson tried to make peace in the fruitless argument. 

“No, because he isn’t in the right state of mind to make decisions!” Voltaire yelled at Tyson while looking down on him.

“Who says he isn’t in the right state of mind!? He is capable of making his own decisions, he is capable of deciding his future!” Tala explained while throwing his hands out in front of him. 

“He will want to stay with me!” Tyson stepped in front of Tala.

“Even though he left you in Japan and came to me instead!?” Tala yelled into Tyson’s face while advancing on him. 

That was what hit Tyson. He grabbed Tala by the rim of his T-shirt and pulled him forward so his face was close to his.

“You want to say that again?” Tyson said menacingly to Tala.

“Boys calm down!” Now Voltaire was the mediator. 

“Kai did a lot of things you could never guess in a lifetime Tyson. And he did a lot of those things with me, do you want to know a secret?” Tala whispered into Tyson’s face while standing his ground. 

“Probably not, shut up.” Tyson’s personality made a complete turnaround from the calm negotiator to the guy starting a fight because of his jealousy. 

Tala pulled himself even closer to Tyson and whispered, so Voltaire couldn’t hear.

“One time… We were in a bit of a tricky situation… We had to suck this guy off together, and our lips touched a few times. In the end we were okay with it, it wasn’t even awkward, maybe he does like me more than you-”

Tyson threw Tala forward away from him. “You included him when you were whoring around! You might have gotten paid but he never did you idiot!” 

Tala fell to the ground with a thud, he propped himself up but Tyson was overtop of him.

“I’m surprised you can tell what I do for a living. You must have met tons of guys, to have that much experience. So say it again? Who was whoring around when the person they actually loved was away?”

“Take that back!” Tyson grabbed Tala’s arms and pinned him to the ground while sitting on top of him. Tala tried to squirm away, but knew his words did more damage than punches. 

“If you actually loved him you would have made more of an effort to find him again and communicate with him!” 

“You think I didn’t try? You weren’t there! You don’t know how I feel for him!” 

“Oh!? Maybe he just doesn’t love you!?”

“You shut your whore mouth!” 

Tyson lifted a fist and was about to throw it into Tala’s throat, but he felt someone grab his wrist and stop it before he made the bad decision. Tyson turned around.

“Who the hell!-”

“Tyson, stop.” Kai forcefully pulled Tyson up off the ground and towards him.

“Tala that was uncalled for. You should apologise.” Kai let go of Tyson and reached out a hand to help Tala up.

Tala pushed his hand away and got up himself. “Sorry Tyson…”

Now everyone was standing around. Kai wore a loose white collar shirt that hadn’t been done up all the way. Voltaire was out of breath. He must have went to the next room and got Kai right away to stop the fight. 

“How long have you been here…” Tyson asked Kai.

“Long enough to know that you two are being idiots.” 

Kai looked over the room, suddenly realising the person who had the least sense the night before had the most control today.

“I’m sorry about everything I did. It was unfair to all of you, and I never wanted you guys to act this way because of it.” 

Kai looked to Tyson and Tala while starting to do up the buttons on his shirt. 

“Tala, you have no right to assume what Tyson and I feel for each other. Tyson, you are going to have to accept that I did a bunch of weird fucked up things in the past year and a half. Tala knows my ill self more than you do, but, Tala, Tyson knows me better than you do in the long run, and he loves me, unlike you.”

Tyson blushed while Tala looked away angry and embarrassed. 

“Tala. You are right, you are important to me and have been around for a majority of the past year and a half but… There were a lot of things you weren’t around for.” 

Tala nodded. “You are right. I know nothing about Frederick except for what Sasha told me, and the fighting pits…” Tala trialed off as he saw Kai shaking his head. 

Tyson immediately became concerned. 

“Who is Frederick? Sasha? The fighting pits!?” 

“I have the same questions…” Voltaire butted in. 

Kai looked to the floor. “I don’t… Want to talk about this right now.”

Tyson nodded, respecting Kai’s privacy, but Voltaire wouldn’t take no as an answer. 

“Kai-”

“Grandfather. There is a man by the name of Frederick, he used to be a doctor, he is stealing weapons from the Russian branch of the Hiwatari company, I don’t know how, or why, but he’s selling them and funding the Russian mafia, you should deal with that.”

Voltaire and Tyson were stunned into a silence; both for different reasons.

Kai looked towards Tyson, looking for comfort there, but he was only looking into his concerned eyes.

The doctor came out and addressed Voltaire. 

“He’s all clean. The only thing I would continue with more tests and checking up is a test for the childhood amnesia and…” He passed some charts over to him, “I want to get some X-rays and work down on the shot wound-”

“You got shot!?” Voltaire looked to Kai immediately.

Kai only looked to the floor. 

“Kai you got shot?” Tyson repeated but in a much lower more concerned tone. 

“Y-yeah...”

Tyson looked to Voltaire who looked furious, Tyson jumped in before he could. He walked up to Kai.

“Where?” Tyson grabbed his waist with both hands and got close to him. “Can you show me?” 

Kai bent his head down and clenched his teeth. He wanted to be even closer to Tyson.

“N-no, I don’t want you to see- yet…” Kai said just under his breath. 

Kai studied Tyson’s expression, he looked sad.

“One day. You can see, but not now…” Kai said trying to reassure Tyson.

“But are you okay?” Tyson asked while looking into Kai’s eyes. 

“Yeah, I’m fine, it’s all healed.”

“Does it hurt?” Tyson asked in a cracked voice.

“No- it doesn’t, I’m fine really! Don’t worry…” Kai tried desperately to get Tyson back into his happy confident mood that he loved so much.

“According to these charts… You’re no where near close to 100% Kai. In fact it didn’t heal well at all-”

“Stop looking at my fucking charts!” Kai pulled away from Tyson and glared at his Grandfather.

Voltaire just continued to look over the charts, and make a flick with his hand without looking at anyone. “Also I don’t like you two that close.”

“Why do you have a problem with them being that close?” Tala asked with a hint of anger in his question.

“It’s weird. I’m not used to seeing Kai with men.”

“Actually you’re not used to seeing me with anybody…”

Tala laughed, “Do you have any idea how many men Kai has been with?” 

Voltaire’s eyes grew wide.

“No, I have no idea. How many has it been Kai?” He looked to Kai with a devilish stare.

“Uh, many…”

“Has your hair been that colour the whole time?”

Yeah? Why?” Kai was confused over the dumb question.

“With black hair you look completely different from your regular hair. You can at least use it as a disguise.”

“You make a good point. But I’m not too worried about people remembering me.” 

“Hey Kai, can that colour come out?” Tyson asked out of the blue.

“I think so? It’s just cheap hair dye…”

“Can I wash it out?” 

“How come?”

“I want to see your old hair…” 

“Alright, let's do that now then.” Kai suggested, mainly so they could get out of the awkward situation and let the thick tension in the room slip away.


	16. Chapter 16: Trust

Kai had taken a shower and changed into one of Tyson’s extra pairs of clothes. He wore his baggy sweatpants and a loose T-shirt. He followed Tyson’s directions and leaned on a chair and bent his head into the bathtub. Tyson rinsed his hair and started to rub different products into it while scrubbing hard. 

“Your hair is so short now… It feels rough.”

“It’s way easier to manage, trust me.”

“Close your eyes Kai, I don’t want to get anything in it, tons of black dye is coming out…” 

Kai obediently closed his eyes and felt the warm water rinse over his scalp and Tyson’s gentle movements as he scrubbed.

“Sorry for being so rough Kai…”

“No no it’s okay… It feels really nice actually.”

Kai let himself fall into Tyson’s rhythm. He folded his hands on his stomach and just let it happen. One major thing that crossed his mind was the trust. For a year and a half he knew no one he could trust this much except for Tala. It felt good to place this much trust in someone again. He didn’t have to be so on edge all the time. He felt peaceful.

“This is nice…” Kai mumbled. 

“I’m almost done Kai don’t worry!”

Tyson finished up and propped Kai back up into a sitting position. He took a towel and ruffled his hair with it till it was partially dry. Tyson leaned in front of him and used the towel to dry the front parts of his hair.

The mirror was still steamy around the edges in the fancy bathroom. It felt picturesque to Kai. It felt great just being alone with Tyson again. 

When Tyson pulled the towel away and looked at Kai’s hair and then into his eyes and smiled, Kai could feel his heart melt.

“There you are. You look so much better with your silver hair. It’s still a bit dark, but your old hair should grow back in soon.”

“What? You didn’t like my black hair?” Kai said pretending to be offended.

Tyson laughed. “No I just like your silver hair better!” 

Kai lifted up a hand and played with his own hair.

“You don’t have to call it silver to make me feel better you know, we all know it's grey.” 

Kai stood up to look in the mirror. As soon as he got a glance at his hair he felt a pang in his body. 

It brought back old memories, it felt so different, yet so familiar…

“Thanks Tyson.”

“You’re welcome!” Tyson said while picking up towels off the floor quickly and arranging them into the laundry basket.

Kai leaned over the bathroom counter and looked at himself in the mirror while attempting to part his hair. When he stood back up straight Tyson came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist, he put his head on Kai’s shoulder and looked at him through the mirror.

“I’m so glad you’re back, and I can see you again.” Tyson said pulling himself as close to Kai as possible.

Kai closed his eyes and placed his hands on top of Tyson’s. 

“Me too… I think.” Kai answered awkwardly.

“You’re still really confused aren’t you?” Tyson said in a low voice making it sound as if he didn’t need an answer nor want one. 

“It’s been a long day. That exam must have taken ages. What do you say I boil a kettle in my room and we just eat noodles or something simple alone so we don’t have to deal with anyone else?” Tyson tried to comfort Kai.

“I would like that Tyson. I would really like that.”

After eating a wholesome meal of instant noodles they sat cross legged in front of each other on the large bed. They heard a knock on the door.

Tyson rolled his eyes. Kai didn’t say anything. The door swung open and Voltaire walked into the room.

“Did you guys eat?”

“Yes Grandfather.” Kai addressed him formally. 

“Good. So I can arrange a flight for us to leave tomorrow-”

The door had been left open, Tala walked right in after.

“You guys are having a party in here without me?” Tala grinned. 

Tyson sighed and climbed off the bed.

“Kai and I are trying to be alone guys?” Tyson looked to Voltaire.

“Well no better time than now to invade your privacy. So as I was saying, I can arrange a flight for us to leave tomorrow unless you guys have any other plans or reason to stay here longer? Although I would prefer if we got out of Russia and back to Japan as fast as possible.” 

“What about me?” Tala asked.

“Do you want to come back to Japan?” Kai asked.

“Um… Well my life is here…” 

“Tala…” Kai gave him a look that Tala could read instantly as ‘don’t give me that bs’. 

“I could come for a while, for like a vacation or something…”

When Tala looked to Tyson he knew he had made a mistake. The look Tyson gave him felt like a hundred daggers. 

“Can I talk to you alone Tala?” Tyson growled while walking up to Tala, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the room. 

They walked down the hallway until they hit the end that was lined with glass doors leading out to a balcony. Tyson opened the door and they walked out into the chilly air. 

“You want to come to Japan?” Tyson asked him in disbelief.

“Well… Look Tyson… I’m sorry for what I said- I’m not jealous, I know you love him more than anything I was just frustrated… I don’t want my time with him to amount to nothing. And I know that- If he won’t tell you anything I can fill you in!” 

“I could just phone you, that’s still no reason to go to Japan-”

Tala sighed. 

“I know but-”

“You don’t love him do you?” Tyson asked with a serious face.

Tala laughed, “No! God no! As lovers? No! As friends! Yes, I love him to the moon and back No- I could never date him.”

It seemed like Tyson’s shoulders un-tensed and he exhaled. 

“That’s good. You had me a little worried there.”

“Although I was right… In the past few years that he has been gone I do know him better than you.”

Tyson had a murderous shock flash through his eyes.

“There's… A lot of things you don’t know, that you should know. He might be too embarrassed to tell you, or he might hate himself because of it and doesn’t want to tell you-”

“Like what?” Tyson asked abruptly. “What could he possibly want to hide from me?”

“Lots of things Tyson… I want to be there to help you with him. He needs you more than anything right now. You will be his light, but you can’t shoulder all of the responsibility on your own. You’re going to need help, he’s going to need more help, from friends who understand him.” 

Tyson sighed, “You are right Tala. I can’t expect myself to be the only one he will be around or care for. It’s extremely selfish of me.” 

“Besides Tyson you don’t have to worry. He doesn’t love me, in fact I don’t think he’s ever loved anyone he’s been with. But he does love you.”

“How do you know!?”

“I can tell.”

Tyson gave off a puzzled expression and Tala grinned.

“One time he asked to borrow my phone in the middle of the night. When I took it back in the morning he forgot to exit out of what he was doing and left it on your social media page. He had been scrolling through pictures of you for ages.”

“That makes sense! That’s how he knew I was dating someone. After that guy posted that crap I broke up with him.”

“You guys need to talk with each other a lot-”

“I’ve been trying! But we keep getting interrupted!” 

“Sorry…” Tala laughed.

“So… Tala you can come to Japan. I have no right to stop you. You can even stay with me until you get settled. Besides there's so many more opportunities out there! And you can be more open about who you are, unlike here…”

“That is true.” Tala agreed. 

They stood in silence for a little while.

“Tyson- I don’t know if Kai will tell you…”

“About?”

“How he got shot.”

“He might tell me in time.”

“He might not give you the full story, and I think it’s important.”

Tyson was cautious. 

“Has he ever given you the full story?” Tyson asked.

“No. I heard it from a friend that he told it to.”

“I don't really wanna hear it…”

“Tyson-”

“No Tala, when he is ready he will tell me.”

Tyson started to leave.

“Thanks Tala for the heads up. But I trust Kai, when he is ready, he is ready."


	17. Chapter 17: Why

“I don’t understand.”

Voltaire sat on the corner of the bed Kai was sitting on. He had closed the door and sat down completely serious.

“What don’t you understand?” Kai asked.

“Why you did what you did.” 

Voltaire asked a simple question with no emotion at all. 

Kai stayed silent. 

Voltaire looked at him briefly, then looked away. It was the kind of stare that made Kai question him. He always believed his Grandfather was a chaotic dishonest man, who had no interest in Kai besides using him as an heir. But the look he gave Kai made him feel different.

“When you ran away I was…”

Voltaire looked legitimately sad, an expression Kai had never seen him wear.

“I was so scared. A year and a half passed, the only thing I could think of… The only reason you could have left. Was it because of me?”

“Because of you what?” Kai said monotone. 

“When I tried to raise you did I not do it well? Did I miss something important?” 

Kai let his shoulders fall limply. 

“I’m glad you used the word ‘tried’ when you mentioned raising me, but, that’s not the reason why I’m so angry…”

“You’re angry?’ Voltaire asked, looking more confused than ever, “I thought you were sad?”

“I feel a little bit of everything…” 

“Why are you angry?” Voltaire looked at him with glazed eyes. 

“Because! Because I!- I just am…”

“But why? Is it because of me? Did someone else do something?”

“I’m angry at myself!”

Kai jumped off the bed on to his two feet. He felt his face burn with the sudden anger.

“I’m angry because I can’t remember anything from the Abbey. I’m angry because I didn’t feel emotions right for so many years and then in high school all I could do was feel and I didn't understand it! And I’m angry because I had to abandon the only person I care for because I’m terrified of hurting people around me! And I’m angry because I left him, and I’m angry because I wasted so much time sulking, and I’m angry for running away so many times. I’m angry because I did stupid things. I’m sad that I thought the only way to fix everything-” Kai’s voice cracked mid sentence. 

“Kai… I didn’t know, why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“Because I could never trust you! I still can’t! It’s just really hard! And I’m angry because- I don’t want to admit that it's just really hard being me…” 

“You still could have told me.”

Kai turned around and threw his hands in front of him.

“What was I supposed to say!? Oh Grandfather by the way I like my best friend romantically and he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and the only thing that makes me happy I don’t want to leave!? You would have shipped me off anyways!”

“I wouldn’t, if you had told me that.”

“I think that’s a fucking lie.”

“Kai don’t-”

“Don’t what!?”

“Get angry-”

“I am angry! And I can’t stop! I’m so stupid- I’ve done too many stupid things…”

“Kai calm down!” Voltaire stood up. 

Kai grabbed his elbow with his other arm. He suddenly felt sad and helpless. 

“Kai, it’s okay.” Voltaire walked towards him and stood in front of him, closer than he had been in a very long time.

“If you love someone that much you need to be with them. You found Tyson again. That’s great! Now you can be with him and only make mistakes together. Anything you did in the past is not important anymore-”

“But-”

“Not important Kai! It won’t affect you anymore, so it’s fine. You just need to be with Tyson. He is the one for you.” 

Kai sighed and looked to the floor. “How can he love me still…”

“He does Kai. Accept it, use it.”

“But I-”

“No.”

“I’m such garbage…” Kai looked to the ground digging his nails into his arm and closed his eyes shut.

“Kai you’re not.” Voltaire held his arms out in front of him awkwardly not knowing what to do.

“I am though. I left him, it’s awful- I’ve done terrible things…” Kai felt his eyes burning and tried to stop any tears but they started to fall anyways.

“Kai…” Voltaire reached forward and pulled his Grandson into him awkwardly, putting his arms over Kai’s shoulders. 

Kai didn’t move and simply stood there being wrapped around his Grandfather in a way he hadn’t been for over fifteen years.

“Kai. You’re smart, and strong. You’ve been through enough, you deserve him, don’t think you don’t. Even I accept this…”

Kai tried to calm himself down. “Okay- Okay.” 

“Just don’t hurt yourself again. I’ll be worried.” 

“Okay…” Kai tried to sound confident but only barely managed to mouth words through a rough voice. 

“Good.” Voltaire pulled apart and away from him. 

Kai awkwardly let go of his arm and sat back on the bed. 

“When we go back to Japan you can live with him if you so choose. You can do whatever you want to do, but keep in mind that there is always a position open for you at the company.” 

Kai looked up at him with glowing eyes.

“Thank you Grandfather.”

“I’m not stupid. I know you love him, I know you need him, I won’t be the idiot that tears that apart from you two.” 

“Thank you- Thank you...” Kai tried to express his gratitude but ended up sounding overly thankful through a thick voice. 

They heard a soft knock on the door.

“It’s Tyson. Can I come in?”

“It’s your room Tyson.” Voltaire said while walking to the door and opening it.

Tyson burst through immediately scanning the room for Kai and looking relieved when he saw he was in the same place he had left him. 

“You guys doing alright?” Tyson asked looking back and forth at Kai and Voltaire.

“Yeah, we’re fine.” Kai answered with a smile. 

“I’ll leave you guys alone…” Voltaire said while leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Tyson ran and jumped on the bed beside Kai happily. He rolled on to his back and looked at Kai upside down.

“So?” Tyson asked.

“So what?” Kai grinned.

“So... how are you doing?” Tyson bent his head further back.

“Pretty good…” Kai angled himself so he was sitting on the bed again beside Tyson.

Tyson couldn’t see him anymore so he pulled himself up and sat in front of him.

“Are you sure? Because your face is really swollen… And kind of red… Was it from the bath water?” Tyson started to reach forward with both his hands to put them on Kai’s cheeks. 

Kai started to instinctively pull away. He flinched and Tyson stopped moving, pulling his hands away slightly. Kai calmed down in a matter of seconds and shifted his body forward as if to say he could try again. Tyson reached forward slower this time and cupped kai’s face with his hands.

“You’re really hot.”

“Yeah…” Kai put his right hand on top of Tyson’s and closed his eyes, absorbing himself in the warmth. 

They stayed like that for ages. Kai opened his eyes again and looked at Tyson letting his hand fall to his lap. Tyson let his hands fall gently and moved forward with his whole body. He closed his eyes and got closer to Kai’s lips.

Kai turned his head and backed up just before they touched. Tyson lost his balance and fell into him. 

“Sorry...” Kai apologised mumbling.

Tyson pulled himself back into a sitting position. “Don’t worry about it… It was really sudden. But- Do you not want to kiss me?”

Kai breathed in and breathed out looking to the side at the wall. 

“It’s not that I don't want to- I don’t think it’s the right time. I want to get Russia off me first…” 

“I understand…” Tyson nodded slowly looking mildly upset.

“I-” Kai trailed off and breathed out. “I just want to get out of Russia.”

Tyson looked at him tilting his head, “But you never wanted to before? What’s different now?”

Kai stared intensely at Tyson, and looked away once he realised how he was looking.

“I just- Well- You’re here. It’s dangerous here, and I don’t want to put you in danger at all. I want to go where it's safe for you.” 

“Alright Kai. We’ll head back to Japan on tomorrow morning’s flight?” 

“That would be great.”

“Oh, and Tala’s coming with us, same with your Grandfather.”

“Well,” Kai rolled his eyes, “I would assume my Grandfather would take us in his private jet. The flight tomorrow is probably the earliest he can arrange.” 

“You guys have a private jet!?” Tyson shouted in awe.

“ _He _has a private jet. It’s small, used for travelling place to place. A company that makes mass weapons and you think the owner doesn’t have a private jet? That’s hilarious.” Kai scoffed, not at Tyson but at everything to do with the rich vibe that surrounded his every move.__

____

____

“You don’t like it?” Tyson frowned.

“Like what?”

“Having money?”

“I try to ignore it as much as possible… running away for a year and living on nothing helped.”

There was a long moment of awkward silence.

“Did you like it?” Tyson asked seriously. 

“Not… Really…”

“Then why did you do it?” Tyson gave off a serious vibe but had a hint of instability in his voice.

“I think…” Kai’s voice shook, “I liked… being hurt sometimes. But I don’t-”

Kai’s hands were in front of him on the blankets. He curled them in grabbing handfuls of sheets with it. 

Tyson gave him a look that screamed how much he couldn’t understand. 

“You… Liked… Being hurt? Or you like being hurt?”

“I-” Kai felt a sick feeling rise in his stomach. He didn’t want to get upset again, but he didn’t want Tyson to think he was some kind of freak.

“No I just… Wanted to… Ugh.”

Kai let his head fall limply forward.

“I hated- I still might- Hate myself, a lot. I just wanted to fight, to get beat up. I don’t know.”

Tyson reached forward with both his hands and rested them on top of Kai’s. Kai’s hands immediately loosed and stopped grabbing at the sheets. 

“You wanna know what I think?” Tyson asked while looking into Kai’s eyes. “I think you were looking for a rush that you didn’t have. You were away from your friends, away from me, it probably didn’t seem important to you but you were away from your Grandfather. You were in school with unlimited money and nothing to do, and you were so angry, with no way to fix yourself, so you tried to cut ties, after you did that… You had nothing to do and grasped at anything you could… It was a bad idea, a dangerous way to live- but I understand why you did it…”

Kai looked back at Tyson. He felt the sick feeling in his stomach twist and turn into a warm comforting feeling. He couldn’t understand how Tyson could read him so well, and understand things that he couldn’t even figure out himself…

“Forgive me…” Kai closed his eyes and let himself fall into Tyson. Tyson wrapped his arms around his back.

“Ssshh… It’s okay. You can let out anything you want around me.

Kai was breathing unevenly. He was trying his hardest not to cry but his whole body felt exhausted and tired, he just felt himself shaking. 

“Kai. It’s okay here.” Tyson pulled up blankets from behind him and threw them over them making sure Kai was completely covered and comfortable.

“There, how’s that?” Tyson asked Kai in his old ‘no worries’ voice.

Kai thought he should pull away. But instead he stayed there. He convinced himself that it was okay. 

After a long while Tyson pulled away slightly and turned off the lamps in the room. He came back to Kai and pulled him into him as he made them collapse on to their sides. 

“Good night Kai.” Tyson mumbled into his hair as he made sure he was fully wrapped around him.

“Night Tyson….” Kai whispered into his shirt.


	18. Chapter 18: Coming Home

Kai thought it would be a long night. He might get hot being so close to Tyson, or he might get uncomfortable; but as they say, time flies by when you are happy. Kai closed his eyes, and when he opened them again the room was bright, as if the sun had been up for a few hours. 

He must have had Tyson pull him closer towards him in the night because his face was on his chest. He tried to move but couldn’t escape Tyson’s iron grip. He ended up rubbing his face against Tyson’s chest against his will. 

_Damn it. I can’t move. I mean I could but I don’t want to wake him up. Ah, his chest feels really nice… Like really good. Damn it no, don’t get-_

Kai could feel Tyson stir.

_Shit- Angle myself away- Yes, perfect. He won’t feel me now._

Tyson pulled Kai closer and took a deep breath in and breath out.

_Damn it!_

“Mmmm…” Tyson made a slight noise in his sleep.

_Pull away!_

“Morning Kai. Nice boner.” Tyson opened his eyes and mumbled the words out in a tired voice.

Kai pushed himself away from Tyson abruptly but misinterpreted how far from the edge of the bed he was. He fell right off the bed and landed sideways onto the floor with a thud. 

“Kai!” Tyson kicked himself out of his drowsiness right away and crawled to the edge of the bed to see him on the floor.

“Ow! It hurt but I’m good…” Kai was sitting up rubbing his head with his hand.

Tyson let himself slide off the bed. He sat in front of Kai and extended his hand to feel where Kai had been holding. 

“You sure?” Tyson asked making a crooked face. 

“Yeah, my head’s just a little sore…” 

Tyson rubbed it a bit.

“Ow!” Kai said before calming down instantly.

“See? It does hurt.” Tyson said while pulling away.

“No I’m fine-”

“You don’t have to lie to me Kai.” Tyson was totally serious.

Kai let go and let his hands fall loosely in front of him on to the floor.

“It hurts a little bit, but it’s not bad, don’t worry about it.” Kai tried to smile but made a broken expression instead. 

Tyson looked Kai over and over trying to convince himself he was telling the truth. 

_You look like you just have so much pain in you._

It didn’t take long for them to gather their things and head to the airport. Kai was right, Voltaire did have a private jet. They all piled in. Tala, Kai, and Tyson sat in an area with two pairs of seats facing each other. Kai and Tyson sat beside each other, Tala sat opposite them, while Voltaire found a seat on the other side of the plane; writing on documents and making calls. 

They took off in silence. Tyson knew it was an awkward and stressful situation for both of them. He wanted to lighten the mood. 

“Are you guys excited to go back to Japan?” Tyson looked at both of them expecting an answer.

Kai barely moved a muscle, while Tala just shrugged his shoulders.

“Come on Kai I know you’re missing it!” He nudged Kai in the side with his elbow.

Kai moved slightly from the impact. “Yeah. I am missing it. It will be nice to be back.”

“You won’t believe some of the stuff that has happened.” Tyson grinned looking at Kai intently. 

“Like what?” Kai asked with a monotone voice, but he found he did feel a legitimate curiosity about his friends, even though he thought he convinced himself he put them behind him. 

“Well, Hilary’s pregnant, can you believe it? With some dickhead. It was a short thing, but now he’s gone, refuses to pay child support, I did find him and I knocked him a good one… Kai? Are you okay?”

Kai was surprised. He had no idea such huge things could happen. He knew that nothing had frozen in time, but he felt a massive wave of guilt hit him like a brick wall. He was coming back; barging into everyone’s life again, it was a selfish move.

“H-How far along is she?” Kai stammered still surprised.

“Pretty far. Maybe… Almost three months now I think?”

“Wow.” Kai turned his head and stopped at Tala for a moment who looked just as dumbfounded as he did.

“And Ray and Miriah are engaged.”

“No way!.” Kai said in disbelief, in the loudest most excited voice Tyson had heard from him yet.

“Yeah! They are actually really lovey-dovey. I’m surprised.”

“What about Max?” Kai asked.

“Kenny and Max are still in America researching together. A lot of their time is spent in the labs. They are on to something huge apparently, although I have no idea what.”

“That’s awesome.” Kai said while rubbing his eyes. He dropped his hand and turned his head to look at Tyson with a sleepy expression. The sunlight streamed in through the window and outlined his face. Tyson looked him up and down and let a smile slip on to his face.

“I still can’t believe you’re right here, beside me. It feels like a dream.” 

Tyson said it out loud without realizing it. Kai’s eyes widened. 

“I could say the same thing to you Tyson…”

“Okay, okay guys it’s getting really gay in here. I don’t think I can handle it.” Tala grinned and laughed it off.

Tyson and even Kai laughed along with him. They continued to talk for hours and then took a nap before arriving in the airport in Japan. It was late at night when they arrived.

Voltaire climbed out of the plane first in a rush. Kai stretched his arms above him ready to exit the plane. 

“Who knew a nine hour flight could be so exhausting.” He yawned and Tyson followed him. 

He was stopped at the entrance by a girl dressed in a suit with sunglasses and a pony tail.

“Stay here Mr. Hiwatari.”

“Excuse me!?” Kai went on the offense immediately, but understood when he looked behind her out the door. 

There was flashes and the sound of people talking, some were even shouting.

“Kai what’s wrong?” Tyson asked with Tala behind him.

“There’s media and reporters everywhere.”

“Why?” Tala asked.

Kai sighed. “I don’t know. But I take it my Grandfather can’t walk back here without it looking weird.”

“Mr. Hiwatari I suggest covering yourself with a jacket of some sort-” 

Kai just sighed again looking completely exhausted. 

The reporter took off her jacket and handed it to him.

“Thanks. What about my friends?”

“They’re fine. It’s you they want to get pictures of. If they ask questions ignore them. They will be rough. They need the biggest scoop in politics to be recorded by someone.”

“Biggest scoop? What is that supposed to mean?” Kai asked with a snarl.

“You have been missing for over a year and a half now. Now you’re back, which gives the Hiwatari company hope. Since the Hiwatari company controls so much it gives politics and the economy hope as well.” 

Kai frowned and put the jacket over his head, just enough so he could see the ground.

“Kai I‘ll stay on your right side and guide you to the car okay?” Tyson grabbed onto Kai’s arm. 

“I’ll grab your left side and push everyone in front of us out of the way Mr. Hiwatari.” The girl bowed before grabbing on to Kai’s arm. 

“I feel ridiculous…” Kai mumbled. 

Tala stepped forward.

“I’ll go out last and make sure no one comes up from behind.

And then they were out.

They pushed through the crowd. Kai felt immediately overwhelmed. The sounds of people shouting around him, the camera flashes, reporters, massive cameras, and people’s heavy steps from every angle. He was bombarded by questions, and tried with every ounce of strength he had to keep his face hidden. He found himself leaning into Tyson as much as he could. 

“Kai Hiwatari, where have you been for so many years?”

“We heard you went to school overseas, where did you attend?” 

“Mr. Hiwatari! If you could only answer a few questions!-”

“How will you precede your Grandfather!?”

“Any thoughts on your parents disappearances, and are they linked?”

“Any plans on marriage? Perhaps, as rumours, say to the princess of-”

“You’re a mystery! Please tell us more!”

“Mr. Hiwatari!”

“Kai Hiwatari!” 

“Hiwatari corporation-”

“Overseas!-”

“Russia!-”

“Japan!”

“Linked.”

“Coordinated”

“Voltaire-”

“Susumu.”

“School.”

“Friends.”

_Pain._

_It hurts in my ears and my body is shaking. Something else hurts, someone is pushing my head down._

Kai was forced down into a car and was pushed in, Tyson crawled in after him, then Tala.

The doors closed and all the voices and sounds around him were drowned out by the silence of the car. The side door opened and the ponytail girl must have climbed in. She told the driver to go and they were off. They could hear the bangs of people hitting the windows of the car and the clatter of their feet as they tried to catch up. Kai kept his head down, and he kept it lowered for ages, until he couldn't hear anything anymore but the sound of his friends breathing beside him, and feel the car start to speed up. 

Kai felt something soft sit on the back of his head and gently pull off the jacket. 

“We’re on the highway now Kai.”

_It’s Tyson. Thank god-_

“That was pretty extreme. You okay?” Tala asked. 

“I’m fine. They didn’t see me so it’s okay.” 

Tyson rolled up the jacket and dropped it near his feet. Kai leaned back and sat up straight in the car trying desperately to regain his composure. 

“Where are we headed?” Kai asked towards the front of the car, more towards the ponytail lady who seemed to know what she was talking about. 

“We were taking you in the direction of the family's residence where Mr. Hiwatari would be- er- that would be your Grandfather- Although we aren’t so sure if he’s there at all. The situation has changed and he hasn’t answered our calls.”

“Well just drop us off at the market, the one by Tyson’s house- Tyson what’s the name of that market?”

“Oh um…” Tyson gave directions to the driver and Kai slumped back in his seat.

Tyson leaned back with Kai when they were finished talking. He looked at Kai and smiled.

“It’s a little chaotic right now but when we get back to my place it will be so much more peaceful I promise.”

“I will admit…” Kai said in a soft voice. “I am looking forward to going back to your place. It always felt cozy to me. How is your Grandfather doing? Will he be there when we get there?”

Tyson opened his mouth slightly and closed it looking into Kai’s eyes without breaking contact. There was a look written on his face that Kai had never seen before. 

“I-” Tyson’s voice cracked and he looked down. “I guess you don’t know…” He sighed and looked back up at Kai.

“He passed away almost two years ago now. It’s just been me- Living alone. So it will just be you, me, and Tala for a while I guess!” Tyson grinned but Kai could see how his eyes looked wet.

“I’m sorry Tyson I didn’t know-” Kai was shocked, and sorry.

_I feel more, I feel worse. I feel like I broke a promise I made many years ago._

Tyson slowly stopped grinning and looked down at the floor. The way Tyson looked hit Kai hard, he could feel his stomach twist and turn, he felt sick. 

“I’m so fucking sorry Tyson I-”

Tyson looked back to Kai filled with concern when he started to sound more emotional.

“No no! Kai you couldn’t have possibly known! Don’t feel bad it wasn’t your fault…”

But I should have known. I should have been there.

“We have arrived.” The ponytail lady announced through the car breaking the tension.

Tala was the first to get out of the car after they parked in front of the market. Kai and Tyson followed. Kai thanked the lady who reassured them they would deliver their luggage soon to whatever address they provided. Then she pulled away leaving the group alone at the market after Kai had insisted they didn’t need her help.

“Hey Kai… Why did you get them to drop us off at the market instead of my house?”

They started to walk in the direction of Tyson’s house. 

“I just… Don’t really want strangers to know where you live I guess…” Kai mumbled.

“You’re so overprotective Kai.” Tala made fun of him in a good way and chuckled lightening the mood.

Kai lagged behind following Tyson and Tala while observing the familiar streets. He had taken this route before with Tyson’s Grandpa. It was so peaceful at that time, and it was the same way now. The smell of the bakery in the distance, the sounds of the shops as they closed and the way the sun was setting in the distance. Kai turned around and almost tripped as they started up a slight hill. He walked backwards looking towards the ocean. It was just as beautiful as he remembered. He looked down at himself and felt uncomfortable with how much he stood out. He looked rough. He lifted up his hand and felt around his face and neck to make sure he had no prominent scratches or scars that anyone would think was weird. 

“Kai? What are you doing?”

Tyson’s voice echoed down the hill towards Kai who was further away. He turned to look at Tyson with his hand gliding through his hair.

“You look fine Kai! Now let’s go!” Tala’s voice echoed down the hill towards him.

“Coming!” Kai started to jog up the hill after them.

They were in front of the dojo now. Kai recognized the large traditional wooden fence with an identical doorway. Tyson padded the back of his pants and then the front of his pockets.

“Your butt looks fine Tyson no need to feel yourself up.” Tala joked.

“You’ve been looking?” Kai looked at Tala with a sudden dramatic glare.

“Woah Kai-” Tala grinned playfully.

“No I don’t have my keys! they were in my suitcase with my wallet. But that’s okay I have hidden a spare.” 

Tyson looked at them blankly. 

“So then find it?” Tala said while making a gesture with both his hands.

“I don’t want you guys to see where I hid it…” 

Tala sighed and turned around. Kai didn’t move as he watched Tyson slide behind a bush near the gate and reach under one of the wooden poles that were slightly above the ground.

“Kai why aren’t you turning around!” Tala whispered to him.

“Huh? What?”

“It’s okay Kai can look.” Tyson said while putting the key in the lock and opening the gate. 

“But I can’t look?!” Tala raised his voice trying to sound offended.

Tyson and Kai walked in the gate and Tyson held it open for Tala as he walked in.

“Nope sorry. It’s only cause I don’t like redheads I swear.” Tyson grinned at him.

“Well that is offensive.” Tala put his hands to his chest purposely overacting.

Tyson laughed and closed the gate behind him. Both Tyson and Tala stopped in their tracks when they saw Kai.

He was in front of them standing in the middle of the courtyard before the Dojo and house quarters. 

He had his hands limply in the pockets of his jeans with his shoulders hunched up; he looked very small. The sun had almost set and the Dojo was washed in a dim pink light. Warm memories from the past seemed to rush over Kai. He felt a strange peace fall over him. He forgot how much he loved this place. Kai took a deep breath in and let it out. He was lost in his mind remembering all the training he used to do here with his team, the time he was with Tyson’s grandpa, and now. Kai felt a gentle tug on his arm through his sweater.

“Hey Kai? What’s up? Do you want to go inside?” Tyson asked gently.

Kai bent his head unconsciously towards Tyson getting closer to him. “Yeah…"


	19. Chapter 19: Friends

They walked into the house part of the Dojo after Tyson found the spare key hidden generically under the rug. 

It looked different from the last time Kai was here when he was with Tyson’s Grandpa. It no longer smelled like old people, but a mixture of Tyson and other lingering scents, and the furniture had been rearranged. 

“You guys can sit down. we should have stopped at the market… I could have picked up food for dinner… Oh well I think I have some ingredients-” Tyson looked to Kai who perked up when Tyson mentioned cooking. 

“You’re going to make food?” Kai looked confused.

Tala sat down while Kai looked at Tyson. Tyson walked closer to Kai and poked his chest.

“Actually I’m very good at cooking!”

“You? The guy who could only make instant noodles in high school?” Kai had a crooked smirk on his face to him it was unbelievable. 

“Hey I’ve come a long way since then! I work as a waiter and a chef at a cafe so- You just sit down and eat my food!” 

“Woah alright.” Kai put his hands in front of himself defensively and sat down on one of the couches opposite Tala. “As long as it’s not English food, if I eat any more of that shit I’ll shrivel up I swear.” 

“It’s usually traditional Japanese, you’ll like it I promise, I remember all your old favourites.” Tyson winked playfully and left the room for the kitchen. Tala and Kai could hear pots and cutlery clinking and moving. 

“So you like it here?” Tala asked Kai from across the room. “It’s way more laid back than you are used to…” 

Kai paused for a second thinking, he tilted his head side to side.

“I don’t- Really know how to describe all the things I’m feeling right now-”

“Woah woah, it’s okay, just take your time.” Tala tried to calm him down when he could see his face going red and his breathing increase its pace, he didn’t want to cause him to freak out again. It was almost inevitable, and Kai needed to let everything out, but he just didn’t want it right now. 

Kai took a deep breath and sighed. He looked around the room and stood up walking towards the fireplace. The one wall of the house seemed very western, Kai regretted that he couldn’t remember if it was like this before or if it had been changed. There were pictures on the sill of the fireplace, it obviously wasn’t used because there were things in front of it too. There was a large picture frame in the middle of the fireplace that was on it’s face laying on the ground. Kai picked it up to look at it. It was a large picture of Tyson’s Grandpa. It must have been way before his death because he looked very young, it might have been ten years ago or even more. 

“I guess he couldn't look at it…” Tala said under his breath.

Kai looked to him and nodded and placed the frame back in its place. 

There was a smaller frame at the top of the fireplace, Kai reached up to grab it. He looked at it and didn’t recognize the woman in the picture. But he did recognize the man who looked to be her age, he looked like a very young version of Tyson’s father. They had a kid sitting on his lap, he was young but Kai could tell it was Tyson’s older brother Hiro. 

“I guess this is his mom.” Kai pointed to the girl in the photo angling it to Tala.

“You should stop looking through his stuff Kai.”

“But it’s all here!? With all this stuff!? All these photos and things laying around that look like Grandpa's old stuff… Shit- Why is it all here Tala?” 

Tala looked to the floor and tapped his leg looking up at Kai with sad eyes.

“I don’t think people like us will ever understand how guys like Tyson love their family.”

Tala looked at Kai while he put the picture back and surveyed everything else. 

“Do you- Do you have any pictures of your family? Your parents maybe?” Tala asked Kai. 

“No, I don’t think I could since I hate them so much.”

“I guess that makes sense…” Tala said solemnly. 

“You never knew your parents Tala?” Kai asked him suddenly realising he knew nothing about Tala’s home life, he just always assumed he was an orphan. 

“No, no I knew them, I wish I didn’t though.”

“How come?” Kai asked but then wanted to take it back.

“My mom left me with my dad in Russia. She couldn’t take the abuse anymore, but she just left me with him. He was a drunk, beat me up all the time. So I ran away. Lived on the streets for a while, then went to the Abbey.” 

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Kai apologized and meant it. He had never known about Tala’s past like this before, he was sorry that he never asked. 

Kai looked back to the fireplace. There were flowers and knick knacks all over the place. In the middle was a another small picture of Tyson’s Grandpa and a wooden Kendo sword. 

Kai could see that the sword was worn at the hilt, and the ‘blade’ was covered in marks and indents, it had been well used. 

“That was his favourite sword.”

Kai swung around at the sudden voice. Tyson was leaning against the doorway to the living room looking at Kai with his arms folded. 

“Sorry- I couldn’t help but look…” Kai stammered.

“No, it’s okay.” Tyson pushed himself off the wall and walked towards the memorial spot beside Kai. He reached forward and picked up the sword and examined it. “He was a great man. The best parental guardian I could have asked for.” 

“You view him as a better father figure than your own father?!” Kai asked surprised. 

Tyson sighed. And placed the sword back in it’s place. “After he passed my father and brother started living with me. It was awful. They stole family relics and pawned them off. He tried to take the Dojo from me. So I kicked them out. It was violent, I got in a fight with my brother- I had to throw a few punches. It was awful. We haven’t seen each other since..”

Kai could feel the whole room wrap around him as his stomach sank. It was exactly what Tyson’s Grandpa asked him to do, exactly what he wanted Kai to protect Tyson from. But Kai wasn’t here.

“I’m so sorry Tyson.”

_I failed. I let you down and I let him down._

“No Kai none of it was your fault- Don’t- Don’t do that don’t feel bad.”

Kai looked down to the floor. 

There was a beep from the kitchen.

“Oh! Food’s done guys! Come sit at the dining room table.” 

Tyson ran into the kitchen with Kai and Tala following behind him. 

They sat down at the table awkwardly. Tyson started to bring out food on plates, with separate plates for them to eat off of. Tyson finally sat down in the seat in between them.

“Dig in guys! And enjoy.” 

Kai’s mouth started to water as soon as he got a look at the food. It hit him suddenly, he didn’t realize how much he missed traditional Japanese food. 

Tala was the first to grab some noodles and place them on his plate. Tyson picked up some with his chopsticks and looked to Kai.

“Noodles? Rice? Something else? Don’t be shy I made a lot.”

Tyson started to place stuff on Kai’s plate. Kai picked up his chopsticks and started to dig in. His mouth watered as he continued to scoop everything into his mouth at record pace.

Tyson stopped shoveling food onto his plate. Kai grabbed more food for himself and continued to eat and eat. Tyson looked to Tala; they both stopped eating and were watching Kai. Kai stopped in his tracks and looked at them.

“What?” Kai asked with a bit of attitude.

“So you really like my food huh? I can cook right?” Tyson smiled at him. 

“Yeah, you cook very well.” Kai said briefly while going back to eating. 

Tala started to laugh and Tyson joined in. Kai looked up at them again. He had a bit of sauce on his cheek.

“What?” Kai asked completely oblivious. 

Tala and Tyson were laughing harder and Kai couldn't help but join in slightly.

They continued to laugh and eat. It was dark when they cleaned the kitchen. They all sat down in the living room again, lazing around. 

“So what's the plan for sleeping?” Tala asked abruptly out of the blue.

“Are you tired?” Tyson asked.

“Naw I was just wondering…”

“Well.” Tyson started, “I have my room upstairs, with a bathroom there, and two other bedrooms upstairs, but technically only one, because the other is my Grandpas… But downstairs there is a bigger guestroom and a bathroom near that. So if Tala stays down there he will kind of have his own bathroom, and me and Kai can stay upstairs and share that bathroom.”

“That’s a good plan!” Tala had a glimmer in his eyes, like he was excited to have his own room and bathroom. 

“So where should I sleep? That spare room upstairs?” Kai asked. 

“Oh uh…” Tyson looked around the room awkwardly. “I was under the impression we were going to sleep… Together.”

“Oh...” Kai was caught off guard. They had slept in the same bed on several occasions, and it was true that he liked it a lot; but he wasn’t sure how he felt about doing it permanently. 

“You guys are that close?” Tala was just as confused as they were.

“Well we slept together in Russia…” Tyson pointed out awkwardly while his sentence trailing off. 

“Like slept together or slept together?” Tala raised an eyebrow.

“We never had sex!” Kai burst out. He overreacted a bit more than Tyson would expect.

“No but would that be so bad?” Tyson asked taking immediate offense to himself. To Tyson it sounded like Kai had no interest in him. 

“No- I didn’t mean-”

“Okay guys. Just calm down.” Tala tried to be the negotiator here. 

“I just thought it would comfort you that’s all Kai…” Tyson sighed and looked saddened by his response. “But if you want you can take the second bedroom upstairs. It’s clean and all ready to go.”

There was a pause. Tala decided he didn’t want to sit in the awkwardness anymore, he also thought they should be left alone for a while.

“Well I’m off to bed then! Tyson, can you show me to my room?” 

“Of course!” Tyson jumped up and led the way. Kai stayed in the living room lounging on the seat.

Kai put his hand to his face. 

I really do like the comfort of him beside me. A lot. But I can’t be that close to him. I don’t want to hurt him by getting too close. 

Tyson came back into the room.

“I can show you to your room if you want?” Tyson looked at Kai.

Kai nodded and Tyson led the way up the narrow stairs to the hallway upstairs. To the right Tyson pointed to a door.

“That’s my room. The room at the end of the hallway is my Grandpa’s. Don’t go in there. And the one on the left is your room. The door on the end to your right is the bathroom, there is a door to the master and a door to my room, if you use it make sure all the doors are closed.”

Tyson awkwardly shuffled his feet and held on to the door handle to his room.

“Well… You can use anything in that room or the bathroom… If you want to take a shower you can use my shampoo and everything… Just don’t touch my fancy conditioner!”

“Alright. Thank you Tyson.”

“Well… Um… I’m off! Goodnight!” Tyson said goodbye and opened the door to his room sneaking in and shutting it abruptly behind him leaving Kai in the darkness of the hallway.

He found his way through the hallway and to his room. He turned on the light.

There was a simple single bed on the edge of the room. It had white bedsheets on it. There was a small window which had a small piece of wood holding it closed. Kai could feel a slight cool breeze from the window. It felt chilly. Kai wasn’t very fond of it. The wooden floor was old and rough. He felt his socks get stuck on it underneath him. He shut off the light and crawled towards the bed. He found it and crawled in and under the covers. He couldn’t get warm for some reason.

Tyson’s phone went off as he was undressing for bed. He only slept in his underwear so he crawled into bed and checked his texts.

  
***10 days ago* **  
**Ray: Hey Tyson! Are you back? How was your trip. Did you find him? **********

********** **

********** **

***10 days ago* **  
**Blondy: Hey! Message us back we need to know! **********

********** **

********** **

***5 days ago* **  
**H!lary: We’ve been worried about him for a long time. At least tell us if you found out anything?******

********** **

********** **

***5 Days ago* **  
**Kenny: I tried to look in our records and see if I had anyway to contact him or find any sign of him but I found nothing. **********

********** **

********** **

***Yesterday* **  
**Ray: Tyson? Are you back yet? Are you okay at least? **********

********** **

********** **

***2 minutes ago* **  
**Ray: Tyson? You there? **********

********** **

********** **

**Tyson: Yes! I’m back! Do not worry I am in Japan safe! ******

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**Ray: Oh thank god. I was starting to get really worried. ******

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**Blondy: Did you find Kai? ******

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**Tyson: Yes Max! I found him. It took a lot of work but Voltaire and I finally found him. He’s back here with me now and Tala is staying with me as well.**

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**H!lary: Oh thank god you guys are safe! ******

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**Kenny: We should come over and celebrate! ******

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**Blondy: Yeah it would be great! ******

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**Ray: I’m up for it! ******

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**Tyson: Ummm… Guys I don’t think that’s a good idea. ******

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**Ray: Why not? ******

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**Tyson: Its just not. ******

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**Blondy: R kai and tala ok? ******

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**Tyson: Talas fine… ******

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**H!lary: And Kai??? ******

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**Tyson: Hes… Not good.**

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**Ray: What do you mean not good? ******

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**Tyson: I don’t really know if I should talk about it. It feels rude without his approval.**

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**Ray: We’re his friends. We just want to know what’s wrong. ******

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**Tyson: I just think it’s rude. ******

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**Kenny: If you tell us it won't leave this circle.**

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**H!lary: Cross our hearts. We only want whats best for him ******

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**Tyson: Guys… ******

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**Ray: Also how do you feel about him now? ******

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**Blondy: That’s a good question. You really liked him. ******

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**Tyson: I still love him.**

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**Blondy: holy shit thats so cute ******

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**Ray: You do? That’s great. ******

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**Tyson: I thought I had got over him. But as soon as I saw him again it all came rushing back like a tidal wave. I don’t think I can ever let go of my feelings for him.**

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**Ray: So what is the problem now? Does he still like you? ******

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**Tyson: I think… He does. ******

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**Blondy: So whats stopping you from grabbin that D? ******

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**Tyson: Oh my god Max shut up ******

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**Blondy: its a legit question ******

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**Tyson: I cant really answer that. ******

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**Ray: Come on Tyson. Is he hurt?**

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**Tyson: Yeah. ******

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**H!lary: Oh my god what happened?!?! ******

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**Kenny: ? ******

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**Ray: What happened? Did someone else hurt him. ******

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**Tyson: There are other ways to get hurt rather than physically… He’s been hurt every way. both physically and emotionally.**

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**Tyson: It’s hard to deal with. He’s really fragile right now. But i’m still doing it because I care so much for him and I only want to see him happy. It is involving the effort of both me and Tala.**

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**Blondy: shit is it really that hard? ******

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**Tyson: A little bit. I think hes improving but it has only been a few days. ******

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**Ray: Is there anyway we can help? ******

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**Tyson: I don’t know I kind of want you guys to stay out of it… But he might want to see you guys too but I don’t know. I’m having a hard time. I just need him to reach out more and open up more.**

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**Ray: Opening up isn’t really Kais forte.**

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**Tyson: I knoooooow. ******

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**Kenny: He did get hurt right? Physically. You mentioned that. ******

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**Tyson; Yeah. I think a lot. I don’t know much about Russia but it was reaaaally rough.**

********

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**H!lary: Anything significant?**

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**Tyson: He got shot in the upper right thigh. I don’t know how. ******

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**Blondy: holy shit ******

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**Ray: I honestly wasn’t expecting that. ******

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**Kenny: Shit Tyson I’m sorry. ******

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**H!lary: Do you need anything? I’m always in the neighborhood.**

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**Tyson: It’s okay guys. I’m just going to keep trying. I’m going to make him feel comfortable and safe. Give him things to do. Maybe I can make him feel so happy he will forget everything. ******

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**Ray: If anyone can do it Tyson it’s you.**

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**Tyson: Thank you. ******

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**Blondy: remember were always here! ******

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**Kenny: Call us if you need us. ******

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**H!lary: I’m right down the street! You have to see me soon too! I swear I felt the baby kick! ******

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**Ray: Hilary you’re barely three months. ******

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**H!lary: Feel for yourself! ******

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**Blondy: You just have gas. ******

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**H!lary: No! it’s the baby! ******

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**Tyson: Okay guys im going to bed. Night! ******

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********

Tyson put his phone on his nightstand.

He pulled his covers up over him and closed his eyes. He felt tired, but strangely awake. He couldn’t stop thinking of ways to make Kai happy. His fantasies got stranger and stranger. He opened his eyes. He was distracted by something.

He heard another gentle knock on his door.

“Who is it?” He asked through the darkness in a rough voice.

The door opened a crack.

“Kai.” 

Tyson heard Kai’s voice echo through the darkness like thick honey.

“Come in if you like.” Tyson called to him.

Kai walked into the room closing the door gently behind him.

“Get over here!” Tyson patted the side of the bed he wasn’t sleeping on. 

Kai walked over slowly and carefully. The bed gently squeezed while he climbed on and under the covers. He was on his side angled towards Tyson. Tyson turned over to him and looked at him getting his eyes readjusted to the light. 

“Did you miss me that much?” Tyson laughed with a crack in his voice.

“A little bit. Plus it’s cold in the spare bedroom.” Kai admitted. 

“Aw.” Tyson nudged himself closer so his face was almost touching Kai’s. Their noses were only a few millimeters apart. 

“I knew you wanted to sleep with me.” Tyson whispered. 

“Shut up…” 

The way Kai said it sounded like he was happy rather than actually telling Tyson off.

Tyson leaned in as close as possible and put himself in a bending position so his head was in Kai’s chest.

“You smell nice… Did you take a shower?” Tyson asked burrowing his face in Kai’s chest.

“You didn’t hear me?” Kia sounded surprised. “I took one before I crawled in your bed. I only did it to get clean so I wouldn’t dirty your-”

Tyson started to laugh hard.

“Holy crap Kai that's adorable! You used my soap too? That’s why you smell nice.”

“I like the way that body wash smelled so I used it… I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Tyson breathed out and wrapped his arm around Kai. “Not at all.”

After a few minutes of them staying in that position Tyson could feel Kai’s posture loosen and his shoulders sag. 

_Hopefully he will get used to me. Hopefully he likes this…_

Tyson loved the feeling of Kai’s soft breath on his head and the sound of his heartbeat in his chest. 

It was like a dream come true.


	20. Chapter 20: Did He Really Mess You Up That Much?

Kai could feel Tyson stirring. 

“Mmmmm….” Tyson made noise as he rubbed against Kai’s chest. It felt nice.

“Good morning Tyson.” Kai whispered.

“Mmmnnn-” Tyson wiggled in as close as possible to Kai, his body was almost wrapped completely around him.

“Morning Tyson. Looks like I’m not the one with morning wood this time…” Kai joked.

“Heey!” Tyson laughed.

Before Kai knew it Tyson had flipped himself up and was sitting on top of Kai. It was even more difficult for Kai because of Tyson wearing only his thin boxers. 

It took Kai a while to clue into what was happening. 

Tyson trailed his hands from Kai’s stomach up to his chest and over his shoulders. Tyson arched his back and kneeled closer to Kai’s face.

“Do you feel it better now?” Tyson’s warm breath washed over Kai’s upper body and touched his lips.

“Tyson!-” Kai said his name in desperation. 

“What? You pointed it out first…” Tyson had his arms crossed over Kai’s head and had his eyes closed. 

“Tyson!” Kai moved his hands in front of him onto Tyson’s chest and pushed Tyson into a sitting position.

“I don’t like this position!” Kai said slightly angry.

When Tyson noticed he was really upset he crawled off Kai immediately.

“Shit, sorry Kai, I was tired, I wasn’t really paying attention. Why don't you like it?” Tyson tried to get information out of him if he could. 

“I-” Kai looked away still upset. Tyson couldn’t tell if he was sad, angry, or worse, disgusted. 

“I’m sorry Kai…”

“It’s not a problem.” Kai pulled himself out of the covers and sat on top of them.

“I just… I had this… I guess you could call him my ex- he was really rough with me. He would sit on me like that all the time to hold me down. It was sudden, and it kind of startled me is all.”

Tyson suddenly understood.

“I had no idea you had exes. You had relationships? I thought you were just playing around…” 

“I… was. He was different.”

“How different?” Tyson asked with puzzled expression. “Did you love him?”

“No! Ew god no, no.” Kai shook his head as he gave off the disgusted dramatic response. 

“But you still dated him?”

“I guess. If you classified what that was dating.”

“What was it?” Tyson asked curiously. 

“I hated him. I think- I liked hating him. And I liked the things he would do to me, when he hurt me, scratched me… Everything else… I liked it I guess. But I snapped out of it; when I realized he was fucking crazy.”

“I’m sorry Kai.” 

“Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t your fault. It was all mine.”

Tyson slowly reached his hand forward and touched Kai as gently as possible. He trailed his finger on his leg in a small circle.

“What… What kind of things did he do to you? Have you always liked pain?” Tyson asked while looking down. 

“I don’t think I’ve always liked it no. I’m not weird. I was just in a bad place. I guess it kind of made me feel like I felt something; something that made me feel a wave of anything. I just liked being able to feel I- I think.”

“Interesting…” Tyson looked up at him and grinned. “I always imagined you would have enjoyed being really rough in bed.” Tyson giggled. 

“Oh I do.” Kai smiled. “Uh, ignore that.” He looked away.

“Oh I won’t.” Tyson looked down again and continued to trace circles on Kai’s leg. “So what kind of things did he do to you?” Tyson repeated the question again obviously wanting an answer. 

“You really want to know?” Kai asked in a serious voice.

“Hmmm… Only if you want to tell me.” Tyson tilted his head upwards briefly. 

“He uh. Well a big thing I guess. I’m always the top, always. But with him I was never top. I was always bottom.”

“That must have been a change. Did you like it?”

“I liked that he was so rough it made me go crazy. But I didn’t like it, if you know what I mean.”

“I know what you mean Kai. When it’s not done right it’s painful and not enjoyable at all.” 

“Yeah… Wait how do you know?” Kai asked with a sly grin.

“Well.” Tyson started while looking into Kai’s eyes and giving off a cocky expression. “Unlike you, I am always bottom. Well- sometimes I do top but very very rarely.” 

“Really?” Kai said surprised. “I took you for more of a top.” 

“Nope! But I’m really good at blow jobs and power bottoming.” Tyson winked.

Kai uncontrollably blushed without realizing it. 

Tyson leaned in close to him.

“You can figure out one day just how good I am.”

“Um!-” Kai leaned back and fell on his back and Tyson advanced.

“Tyson we haven’t even kissed yet!” Kai angled his head to the side.

“We could?” Tyson suggested seductively. 

“I don't- I don’t want to right now.” Kai said in a low voice.

Tyson pulled away immediately. He didn’t want to force Kai to do anything or go against his wishes.

“Sorry Kai…” 

“No no it’s okay.” Kai pulled himself back up into a sitting position. 

Tyson looked at Kai up and down.

“Kai you’re shaking!” 

“I know.”

“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to scare you!” 

Kai took a deep breath. Tyson slowly reached his hand forward and placed it on top of Kai’s trying to calm him down.

“Did that guy mess with you that much?”

“No. No. It wasn’t him I’m just-” Kai sighed trying to find the right words. “I’m sorry Tyson I just-”

“No no sssh.” Tyson reached both his arms forward and pulled Kai into him holding him in a tight comforting hug. 

Kai didn’t get any more upset than that. He just let himself fall into the intoxication of Tyson’s embrace.


	21. Chapter 21: It Takes Two

After dinner Kai, Tala, and Tyson were sitting around the living room watching TV.

“Kai we’re on the news!?” Tala pointed to the TV abruptly. 

There was a segment on the news. It was short, a little more than a minute long, and discussed how the heir to the Hiwatari company finally came back from overseas.

**Will we finally get to see the face that is all the rage in international politics? It seems they are still taking every precaution to try to hide Mr. Hiwatari’s face. Unfortunately we won’t get to see this young man yet.**

********

********

The news program switched to a discussion about downtown traffic. 

Tyson was sitting beside Kai on the couch. He inched closer and tried to play with Kai’s hair to comfort him, but Kai pulled away aggressively. It scared Tyson, he jumped slightly and pulled away scooting back to his original spot on the couch. 

It went on like that for a few weeks. Kai was still distant but would sneak into Tyson’s bed at night to cuddle with him and sleep. Tyson was upfront but Kai was still closed off. Tyson had to go back to his jobs. He would leave to be a waiter in the mornings on the weekends and a chef at night during the weekdays. It was okay, Kai still saw him often. It just meant he would have to spend more time with Tala during the day. They took walks or explored the town. Tala would go out and leave Tyson and Kai alone for extended periods of time. He was doing his own ‘business’ but was also handing out resumes to local shops. 

It was a surprisingly slow, comfortable life. Both Kai and Tala seemed to enjoy it. It was uneventful at times, but since their lives were previously full of stressful events, it was a nice change. 

It was a lazy Monday night. Tala and Kai were hanging out in the living room like usual. Kai had found a book and Tyson had given him his old glasses that he had left before leaving for University. It was a happy surprise when Kai found out Tyson still had them. He could see perfectly fine with them, which made him breathe a sigh of relief knowing his eyesight hadn’t declined. 

“Your Grandfather hasn’t contacted you?” Tala said out of the blue.

“Nope. But I suspect he will. He was always uncomfortable when there was no direct way to get a hold of me. He will probably give me a phone.” Kai didn’t look up from his book and flipped a page gently. 

“He will just give you a phone? Just like that?”

“Probably. The most reliable newest Hiwatari model most likely. With a built in GPS tracker.” Kai rolled his eyes and sighed closing his book. He took off his glasses and closed them placing them on top of his book and slid the book onto the coffee table. 

“Sooo… Have you and Tyson done anything yet?” 

“What do you mean by done anything?” Kai asked raising an eyebrow. 

“Like you know. Each other. I figure you guys would be all over each other by now.” 

“No we haven’t had sex.” Kai stated bluntly. 

“Why not?!” 

“We haven’t even kissed yet or anything.”

“That’s insane Kai. Why not?”

“I’m taking my time!” 

“Bullshit! You’re stalling.”

“I’m not!” 

There was a ringing of a phone in the room.

“Tala is that your phone?” Kai pointed out.

“I guess?” Tala said pulling out his phone. “It never rings how odd. Unknown number. I’ll answer it. Hello?”

There was a pause as there was an answer back.

“Kai speak of the devil. It’s for you.” Tala stood up and passed the phone over to Kai. Kai put it to his ear knowing just who it was. 

“Hello Kai. How has it been staying at Tyson’s?” Voltaire asked from the other end in a calm yet menacing voice.

“It’s been good.” Kai answered back vaguely.

“I lost you after we got off the jet. I apologize. Did you make it out okay?”

“We got out just fine. That girl with the ponytail got us all out and drove us to Tyson’s house. After we were out of the airport we had no problems.”

“That’s good.” Voltaire said as there was a crackle from the other end as he moved the phone.

“Yeah…” Kai answered back awkwardly. 

There was a moment of silence. Tala stood up and pointed towards the kitchen. He walked away and Kai heard the door slide open and close. Tala had left to give him some privacy. 

“How are you and Tyson?”

“Why does everyone keep asking that?!”

“Everyone wants to know your relationship status. Don’t take it the wrong way.”

Kai became irritated very fast and leaned into the chair crossing one arm and holding the phone closer to his face. 

“We haven’t done anything. Nothing’s happened. He went back to work recently. He works a lot.” 

Kai didn’t notice but he let out a sigh.

“You don’t like him working so much?” 

“I would like to spend more time with him. But by the time he gets home he’s really tired. There’s not much I can do.”

“You can do many things.” Voltaire said sort and simply. 

Kai was angry that he would barge into his situation and make assumptions. 

“How could you-” Kai started but was interrupted.

“You could make dinner, make him a bath, or go grocery shopping.. I don’t know what you kids all do nowadays but it seems like it used to be so much simpler. Or maybe you’re just making it more difficult. You have so many options and so much time to do things with him, after all Tala is usually out of the house by then right?”

“How do you know that Tala is out of the house-”

“Kai. Tyson and I spent so much time together looking for you. We didn’t simply just break contact. And I wouldn’t lose contact with you.”

“Are you trying to say you’ve been talking with Tyson about me behind my back!?” Kai growled. 

“More like… Updated. But that doesn’t matter. The point of this situation is why you guys aren’t together yet.”

“It’s actually none of your business.” Kai clicked his tongue. 

“I saw you on the news. Well I couldn’t see your face; but I saw Tyson. He was very protective of you. He cares a lot about you. Do you not feel the same way back?”

“No- I do- I just- I’m not comfortable with- you know- right now is just a bad time.”

“I see.”

Kai felt his chest heave with rage.

“Can you stop being so annoying and getting in the way of my personal life?!” 

“Well I was going to visit tomorrow. I was going to drop of all your luggage from the plane that was not dropped off and see how you guys were doing.”

“We’re doing fine!”

Kai could feel his Grandfather's judgmental expression from the other line.

“Whatever. Come over if you want. Just ask Tyson first.”

“Done and done.” 

“Bye.” Kai said before hanging up the phone. 

Kai almost threw the phone before calming himself remembering it wasn’t his. He put the phone on the coffee table and leaned back into the chair. 

“Tala, you can come back now!” He shouted into the kitchen. 

He heard the door slide open and close again and Tala’s footsteps coming into the room. Kai closed his eyes and let his head fall all the way back. 

“How was that?” Tala asked sitting back down on the couch and picking up his phone.

“Ugh.” 

“Yeah I thought so.” 

Kai rubbed his eyes with his fist.

“He’s coming over tomorrow apparently. I’m not too happy about it.”

Kai sighed as their conversation ran circles in his head. He felt more angry that his Grandfather had made a good point about his relationship; Kai could make more of an effort.

“We should do something for Tyson.” Kai blurted out almost without thinking. 

“I can do very little Kai. I think it’s you who needs to do something.” Tala gave off a serious expression while trying to stop himself from grinning at Kai’s though process. 

“Okay.” 

“Just okay? What do you want to do for him?” Tala asked prepared to help him progress his relationship along. 

“I should clean and make dinner…”

“That would be awesome. He would love that.”

Kai titled his head and sat back up straight. “We don’t have a lot of food though. We ran out yesterday. And I’m not very good at cooking…”

“How about this-” Tala put his hands in front of him as he devised an expert plan. “So I go out, I’ll buy you guys some nice food from that nice restaurant down the street- You know the one he likes- you can clean when I’m gone. I’ll come back give you the food, then I can go out tonight and leave you guys alone and come back in the morning.”

Kai nodded agreeing that it was a good idea. “Wait- Why come back in the morning? Do you think we are going to want to do something? Cause I don’t want to-”

“No, no... Well you could if you wanted to, I will be out of the house. But I know you are more comfortable around him when you two are completely alone. You can do a lot for him. You may not notice it, but he is a romantic guy. Light some candles give him a massage before bed, it doesn’t have to be about sex.”

“I know that!” Kai rolled his eyes.

“Then why are you avoiding him so much? You are avoiding being intimate with him, which is understandable… But you seem to be avoiding him all the time. What's up with that, Kai?”

“I’m not avoiding him, not at all?” 

“It kind of seems like it… Well I don't see you guys together much.”

“Whenever he’s off work I see him. We have dinner together, we watch TV together, we take walks in the evening, we sleep together-” 

“You guys sleep together!?” Tala smiled as if the idea made him super happy.

“Y-yeah. Well, I go into his room at night… But recently he just leaves the door open and waits for me to come in…”

“That’s so cute. So Kai! Let's play this out. If you had a super long day at work what could someone else do for you to make you feel better?” 

“Umm… I don’t know. Make dinner? Um.” Kai folded his arms thinking. 

Tala rolled his eyes. “Well if it was me, I would want someone to run a hot bath for me, with candles, then when I get out I want to wear their pajamas and lay on the bed and have them rub my back while we have deep conversations until I fall asleep listening to their voice-”

“I am not doing that.” Kai said abruptly, but, after a short silence, took it back immediately. “But that is so crazy it just might work…” 

“Alright, then I’m going out to get food!” Tala stood up already prepared. 

“I’ll clean the kitchen.” Kai stood up as well.


	22. Chapter 22: Naked Secrets

“Wow everything looks so clean in here!” 

Tyson had just walked in the door. Tala had just left, Kai wasn’t expecting him a few minutes early. He was going to take a shower after scrubbing the kitchen but didn’t get to it in time. Tyson had caught him wearing an old pair of sweatpants he borrowed from Tyson and an old off white dress shirt now covered in water stains.

“Aww were you cleaning for me?” Tyson walked up to Kai as Kai frantically tried to roll his sleeves down to look nicer for him. 

“No no keep them up! I like your rough working man look.” Tyson giggled while trying to pull Kai’s sleeves back up playfully. 

Kai looked up at Tyson and felt his face get hot. He didn’t understand why he felt this way but he did. He wanted things to go well today. 

“I!- I got food!” Kai looked to the coffee table where there were plates and takeout boxes the he hadn’t got the chance to lay out yet. 

“I can see that.” Tyson looked in the direction Kai was looking in and smiled uncontrollably. “God you’re so cute when you act like this.”

“Sit down and eat!” Kai stammered and pulled Tyson to the couches. They both sat down and Kai started to sort out food onto their plates. 

“Wait you don’t like the olives… I’ll eat them.” Kai rolled the olives off Tyson’s plate on to his. 

Kai finally put the plate down awkwardly in front of Tyson.

“Thank you Kai!” Tyson picked up the plate and started to dig in right away, so did Kai. He stopped eating for a second. “So what made you want to make such a special evening for us like this?” 

“W-what? No reason I just- wanted to.” Kai started to eat again not making eye contact with Tyson.

“Are we doing anything else tonight that I should know about?” Tyson laughed trying to make Kai more comfortable.

“Um. I know you like baths, but you haven’t had the time for one in a while… I was going to prepare a nice one for you- bubbles, all of it. But you don’t have to if you don’t want to-”

“That sounds really nice Kai! You thought of all this on your own? I’m surprised. You need to take a shower still right? Why don’t we take a bath together?” 

Kai look up at Tyson so fast he choked on his food slightly.

“Are you okay Kai!?” Tyson started to get out of his seat.

“No no I’m fine! You just startled me is all!” Kai cleared his throat. 

“Is it that weird of a concept?” Tyson asked.

“No! I just- Um.” Kai mumbled and confused his words trying to find the right things to say. He looked so distraught Tyson had to barge in.

“Not today?” 

“No! That’s a great idea. I’m just kind of uncomfortable with-” 

“Me seeing you... naked possibly?” Tyson titled his head wanting to get a clear answer from Kai without stressing him too much. 

“I guess… I have a lot of scars and- Scratches and stuff that- I don’t want you to see? I look kind of gross. Nothing’s healed yet- or very well…” Kai trailed off while rubbing the back of his head with his hand. 

“I don’t mind Kai. I would like to see you.” 

“Why?” Kai knitted his eyebrows in confusion. 

“Well… To be honest I’ve always wanted to see you naked. But now you keep talking about all your injuries… I just want to see how bad you are hurt physically… You know? Is that bad? I won’t judge you.” 

Kai took another awkward bite of his meal. He seemed to be thinking.

“Okay. But as long as I can wear my boxers.”

“Underwear? In the bath!?” 

Kai grinned at Tyson. Tyson laughed. 

It felt so good to just be close to each other. 

Kai turned on the bath upstairs near to Tyson’s room. He added in bubbles and salts that he found under the sink. He turned around while the bath filled up. Tyson pulled off his shirt in one swift motion. He started to unbuckle his belt on his pants. He took off his belt and let it fall on to the door handle. He undid his pants and took them off and his socks. Kai watched him without realizing how intense he was staring.

“Having fun?” Tyson winked playfully. While grabbing the edge of Kai's boxers. 

“Uhm-” Kai swallowed and looked to the floor noticing how dry his throat was. 

“Here...” Tyson reached forward and grabbed his shirt pulling Kai closer to him. 

Tyson grabbed the top button with both his hands. Kai reached up fast with one hand and stopped him from undoing it. 

Kai closed his eyes and breathed in and out. He looked into Tyson’s eyes giving him a signal to do it. Tyson undid the first button and when he grabbed for the second one Kai pulled his hands away.

“Hang on. I have to turn the bath off.” Kai said under his breath. He turned around turned off the faucets and went back to his original position. I was different now that it was quiet, the only sound was their breathing and the dripping of the faucet. 

Tyson reached forward again and undid all the buttons. He reached around Kai’s stomach. Kai shivered but kept his posture. 

“You okay?” Tyson whispered to him.

“Yeah I’m fine… Just no one's really touched me in a while…”

“I won’t do anything. I will barely touch you unless you want me to. If you want me to stop, just say the word, okay?” Tyson let go of Kai and grabbed the edges of his shirt’s collar instead.

“Okay Tyson…” 

Tyson slowly pulled off his entire shirt, one arm, then the other. Tyson dropped the shirt behind him in the pile of his clothes. It had been many years since he had last seen Kai shirtless. He looked to Kai. Kai had shut his eyes and clenched his fists. He angled his head towards the floor. 

“Ah Kai…” Tyson used both his hands to gently cup Kai’s cheeks. He angled his face forward and Kai slowly opened his eyes, unclenched his fists, and loosened his posture. “It’s fine.” Tyson looked into Kai’s eyes. He kept one hand on his cheek while using the other to trail up and down his chest. “It’s fine. You look just fine.”

Tyson was expecting it to be worse. It might have been a few weeks ago. He had scratch marks on his chest that were almost healed. Tyson could tell they were scratch marks because they trailed down his chest in three parallel marks. He had deeper cuts that almost look like they had been burned closed. He was more built in different areas than he was before. He used to have well defined muscles all around. Now his arms looked stronger. He wasn’t exercising every part of his body and only built muscle where he used it most. 

“Just a few scars Kai. Nothing to be worried about at all.” Tyson looked back up at him. Kai’s eyes looked wet. Tyson could feel him shaking. 

“My gosh Kai it’s okay!” Tyson grabbed the back of Kai’s head and pulled him forward and let their foreheads lean on each other. “It’s okay…”

“Tyson I’m repulsive.” Kai’s voice cracked as he admitted how he felt in a low voice.

“You are not!” Tyson pushed Kai away gently and grabbed onto his shoulders with both hands and gently shook him. “You are really hot! And very attractive. I’ve always thought so. Nothing has changed.”

“You should see the rest of me before saying that.” 

“Alright Kai. Challenge accepted. Take off those pants of yours. The ones you borrowed from me.” Tyson grinned. 

Kai stepped back slightly and pulled off his pants so now he was only standing in his boxers holding his pants in a bundle at his side.

Tyson immediately looked for the shot wound. He knew it was the right thigh and looked there right away. Kai could tell that was what he was looking for, but he had conveniently covered it with the pair of pants he was holding. Tyson could see cuts and scars all up his legs but they weren’t as important as the shot wound he wanted to see.

“Hey Kai…” Tyson reached forward slowly then took his hand back. He just wanted to yank the pants away so he could see it.

“You want to see the shot wound, right?” 

Tyson nodded slowly. 

Kai sighed. 

“Just…” Kai trailed off.

“I just want to see it. I won’t say anything bad. I promise.” 

Tyson placed his hand on Kai’s overtop of the bundle of pants. Kai slowly pulled the pants away with Tyson’s hand. Tyson took the clothes and threw it behind him. He looked down at the wound. 

It looked a lot different than he expected. Tyson kneeled down. 

“What are you doing!?” Kai tried to pull away.

“I’m just getting a better look!” Tyson said while grabbing on to his calf. 

It looked warped, like burnt skin that had been stirred up. It was weird. Not what he expected. But now he knew what it looked like. He knew how bad it was. It wasn’t a huge wound, but it wasn’t small either. Tyson looked up at Kai.

“Can I touch it?” 

“Gently…” Kai reached behind him and used both his hands to keep his balance on the tub. 

Tyson gently prodded it with a finger. The more he looked at it he became more angry and sad. He was sad that this happened to Kai, and he was angry at the person who did it. He took a deep breath and moved his head forward gently kissing Kai’s upper thigh above the wound.

“What are you doing?!” Kai asked but took a calming breath after Tyson pulled away and stood back up. 

“It’s not bad Kai. It’s nothing to worry about.” Tyson grinned trying to comfort him.

“I think it looks hideous…” 

“Honestly it doesn’t make you any prettier. But it doesn’t make you look bad. If anything it just adds character.” 

“Shut up...” Kai smiled.

“Are we going to get in the tub now? Before it gets cold?” Tyson pulled down his underwear looking at Kai the whole time.

Tyson saw Kai’s whole face go red. Then he covered his eyes with his hand.

“I’m not looking! Just get in!” 

“Wow. Kai, you’re pretty awkward for someone who's apparently seen a lot of-”

“I don’t care how many I’ve seen! It’s yours and it’s different!”

“What do you mean it’s different? Is there something wrong with it?” Tyson asked deliberately making him embarrassed as he stepped into the tub and sat down.

“No no that’s not what I mean! I mean it’s different because it’s you, because of the circumstances not because yours is weird or anything-”

Tyson laughed. “You can uncover your eyes now. I’m in the tub.” 

Kai uncovered his eyes and turned around and looked at Tyson.

“Are you getting in?” 

“Uh. Yeah.” Kai stepped in with one foot.

“With your underwear? Oh my god.” Tyson let his head fall back while he giggled. 

“I told you I would only go in if-” 

“I thought you might change your mind!” 

“I’m not!” Kai said while sitting in the bathtub on the opposite side with a slight splash. 

“You’re crazy…” Tyson mumbled while pushing his foot into Kai’s calf.

“Hey…” Kai mumbled as Tyson pulled away.

They sat in silence for a while. Just being in each others company was enough.

“Hey Kai what time is it?”

“Why?” 

“Just wondering. My phone is just right there if you want to check.”

Kai went to reach for the phone. He had to turn his whole body facing his back to Tyson.

“Holy shit Kai!?” 

Kai turned back around abruptly without managing to make it to the phone.

“What is it?!” Kai asked in a confused rush.

“Your back! What happened to it?!” Tyson raised his voice in surprise. He didn’t mean to react so extremely, but the sight scared him more than anything else he found on his body.

“You scared the crap out of me Tyson!” Kai said slightly angry. 

“Sorry Kai. Turn around again.” 

Kai leaned his back into the edge of the tub to hide himself so Tyson couldn’t see. 

“Kai…”

Kai awkwardly sat in the tub with Tyson for a few minutes.

“Are we done? I’m done.” Kai said abruptly standing up. All the water drained off him as he climbed out of the tub backwards so Tyson wouldn’t see his back. He grabbed a towel and tied it around his whole body. Tyson followed in his footsteps pulling out the plug of the tub behind him.

“I’m going to go get changed.” Kai left the room.

Tyson dried himself and changed into the pair of clothes that were sitting beside the tub. He mentally thanked Kai for having them there.

Then Tyson followed Kai out of the bathroom in a rush. He found Kai lying on his side wearing pajamas, and a loose shirt on Tyson’s bed. Tyson stepped up on to the bed and sat beside Kai.

“Hey.” Tyson said trying to liven up the mood.

“Hi…” Kai sat up, making sure he was closer to Tyson. “I think I decided something… But I want to do it now, before I change my mind.”

Tyson could feel his heart rise in his chest. “What is it Kai?”

“I’m going to take off my shirt again. You can look at my back if you want. I- I want you to see it. I want you to know. I want you to know me better than anyone else. Every scratch, every bruise, every crevice…” 

“You took the words right out of my mouth Kai...” Tyson nodded.

Kai reached down for the ends of his shirt. He pulled it up and over his head. He was shirtless. He looked up at Tyson.

“Alright. I’m going to lay down now…” 

Tyson smiled. It reassured Kai.

Kai turned his back and fell face forward into the sheets. He let his head fall to the side into the pillow and wrapped his arms around it. 

Now Tyson got a better look. His back was completely covered in deep scratches and sharp slices. 

“Can I touch it Kai?”

“Yeah… Do whatever you want.” 

Tyson climbed forward and sat on Kai’s lower back while staring intently at his upper back where most of the scratches were located. Kai shivered and Tyson traced some of the scratches. 

“Does it hurt?” Tyson asked.

“No. Well, not as much as when I got them.”

Tyson rubbed his face with his arm. It looked awful. Terrible. He only hoped that they would heal fast and well.

“How did you get them?” Tyson asked in a low voice that seemed to comfort Kai. Tyson’s calming voice soothed Kai and put him in a trance that could not be imitated by anyone else. 

“I-” Kai took a deep breath and let it out. “Do you remember that guy I mentioned? Frederick?”

“Yes. You mentioned him briefly.” 

“Well- I kind of dated him.” Kai felt his whole body grow stiff as he admitted it. “We were really rough, and not just regular rough, really rough. I liked how he hurt me. He used to scratch my back up on purpose. He used to like the sounds I made when I was in pain…” Kai felt his body tighten as he waited for Tyson’s response. He was so afraid Tyson would think he was a monster. 

“I see. So they should heal nicely then?” Tyson asked. 

“How could you not think I’m disgusting Tyson?” Kai burrowed his face into the pillow. He was tired of trying to be strong.

“I don’t think you’re disgusting… I think you’ve been confused for so long. And now you have the chance to be right again, happy, and secure. You can do that here. With me.” 

Tyson let his body lean into Kai’s back slowly. 

“But I’m so gross… I’m a monster- I’m bad I’m-”

“No no you’re not! You’re not. I wouldn’t love you so much if you were.” Tyson whispered into Kai’s ear.

“Don’t say that!” Kai yelled suddenly startling Tyson back into a sitting position. 

“Say what?!”

“That you love me. You can’t! You shouldn’t!” Kai’s voice cracked as he turned his head again to the side. Tyson could see his face now. His eyes were red and filled with tears.

“It’s too late now Kai I love you and I can’t turn back.” Tyson grinned. He expected Kai to calm down. To believe him at least. He didn’t expect this.

Tyson felt himself fall to the side suddenly. Kai was over top of him holding him down by his wrists. 

“No! You’re making a huge mistake. Take it back. I don’t want to hurt you anymore…” Kai’s voice cracked with rage and sadness. 

“You’ve _never _hurt me! Not ever!” Tyson yelled back in his face. If Kai couldn’t understand through compassion… Could he understand by force?__

____

__

“That’s a lie and you know it.” Kai gritted his teeth.

Tyson looked to his side. It was a lie.

“You’re right. You’ve only hurt me once.” 

Kai loosened his grip on Tyson’s wrists. 

“When?!” Kai asked desperate for an answer. 

“You claim you do it all the time. So tell me what you think.” Tyson drilled him. His anger was coming out. He didn’t mean it.

Kai immediately looked miserable.

“It was when I left, wasn’t it?”

Tyson sighed. “Yes.” 

“I’m sorry.”

Tyson felt a drip of water hit his shirt. It was different to see Kai cry like this.

“It was hard. For so long. If we had only talked. If I had been closer to you when you were in England… Things could have been different.”

“No Tyson! It was all my fault all of it…”

“No! Shut up, Kai, it wasn’t all your fault, it was a group effort. But none of that matters now.” Tyson reached up a hand and stroked Kai’s cheek. “You’re here now. That’s what matters. There could be another universe out there, another place, where you never came back to me, where I never came to look for you. That would be awful. I’m just glad I’m living in this one. Here and now.”

Kai felt his stomach swirl, but it wasn’t bad, it was a good feeling. He felt strangely happy. Tyson was right, he was overwhelmingly happy to be here with him. He just needed to accept it, to live it, and stop being so confused. 

Tyson lifted his head up slightly from the bed. Kai got the hint. It was the perfect moment to kiss. Tyson lifted himself up higher, not making the first move but trying to drag Kai along. 

_No, I won’t kiss you. Not yet. Not today._

____

____

Kai pushed himself off Tyson. Tyson fell back on the bed exhausted.

“Thank you, Tyson. It means a lot to me that you’re here, and that we’re together like this. Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome Kai. Is it time for bed?” 

“Mmmm… No. I don’t think so. Why? Are you tired?” 

Kai peeled himself off of Tyson and sat up.

Tyson stayed down. “Yeah I’m a little tired…”

“You work so much, Tyson, you must be exhausted. Why don’t you take tomorrow off work? I’m sure they wouldn't mind…”

“I can’t stop working. I need the money.” Tyson covered his face with his arm.

“You work a lot. Don’t you have enough? Is it because of me and Tala being here? Because I will pay my way, I already try to do as much as I can-”

“No, Kai, it’s not that. Plus I already get paid for you guys-” Tyson cut himself off, but it was too late, he already said what he shouldn’t have.

“You’re being paid for having me here? What?” Kai’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re Grandfather is giving me money. But mostly because I’m poor and can barely keep myself stable let alone you too… So it's nothing for you to worry about.”

“What.” Kai said in a dark voice that sounded more threatening than curious. 

“Ummm… Yeah.” Tyson looked away tensing up, preparing for whatever Kai was about to yell about or get frustrated at. 

Instead Kai took a deep breath in and let it out. He slowly let himself fall onto his side beside Tyson. He reached to Tyson’s hair with his hand and started to play with it gently.

“Kai?” Tyson asked confused. It wasn’t the response he was expecting. 

“It just doesn’t make sense, Tyson… Even if you were working your two jobs at minimum wage you should still have money… But you are also being paid by my grandfather, and he isn’t known to be cheap… He must he paying you a nice sum. So, to me, it doesn’t make sense. You are not rich, but you can’t be this short on cash?”

Tyson closed his eyes and let Kai pay with his hair in silence. When Tyson didn’t say anything Kai knew something was wrong.

“So… What is it? You can tell me?” Kai tried to say it as gently as possible. It must have worked because Tyson opened his eyes. 

“You’re right Kai…” Tyson stopped and sighed. 

Kai continued to play with his hair. Combing through it rhythmically with his fingers. 

“It’s, um. Going somewhere…” Tyson admitted.

“Where is it going?” Kai asked trying to get it out of Tyson. It wasn’t like him to keep a secret. 

“I, um. Well, you know after my Grandpa died…” Tyson rubbed his eyes with both hands and let them slide down his face and onto his stomach. Kai started to slow down, he knew it was a tough subject.

“Yes. I am aware. Go on.” Kai tried to urge him on.

“Well… After he died my Father and brother came to the funeral… Then they stayed with me for a while. I couldn’t handle any more than a few months. They were awful to live with. They would only do chores if I gave them money; even if it was going to the store or helping around the house, I would pay them. I got so frustrated. I told them to leave, they wouldn’t go. My father said he would only leave if he got his fair share. He took some relics from the dojo and left with Hiro to go on one of their digs, far away hopefully. But he still calls me up, threatening to move back because he has no money, so I have to keep dishing out money for him, week after week.”

“That's horrible.” Kai said with a growl in his voice.

“It’s not bad. As long as they stay away.”

“You must be paying them a lot…” 

“Yeah.” Tyson turned his head away, obviously ashamed of what he was doing. 

Kai was angry. 

_I broke a promise. I told him I would protect Tyson from this, I failed. I need to make up for it._

“Stop giving them money.”

“W-what Kai?!” 

“Don’t pay him anymore.”

“It’s not that simple-”

“It is. He has a career. They are full grown men. They don’t need your help. You need that money more than them right now. The next time he phones refuse. Tell him you won’t give him money anymore. And ask for those family relics back.”

“If he hasn’t sold them already…” Tyson mumbled.

“What did he take?” Kai asked.

“He took a few things. Some old banners… But the thing I’m especially angry about is the sword.”

Kai could see Tyson’s upper lip curl. It had been a long time since Kai had seen him this angry.

“You mean Dragoon’s sword?!” 

“Yes.” Tyson said furious.

“That’s your sword. That has always been your sword! What the hell?!”

“I know right? He’s definitely sold that.” 

Kai could feel the heat coming off Tyson in waves. Kai wanted to make him feel better but there was just no way.

“I’m sorry, Tyson.”

“It’s okay, Kai.”

“Just the next time… Don’t give him money. If they show up here, I’ll beat them up for you.” 

Kai grinned and Tyson tilted his head to look up at him. Tyson laughed. 

  
It had been a long night. But they still managed to crawl under the sheets and fall asleep in each other’s arms. Tyson fell asleep right away, while Kai battled scenarios in his head. He wanted to find out ways to work around Tyson’s dilemma. He thought and thought. Eventually he fell asleep without a plan


	23. Chapter 23: Freddy

The next morning both Tyson and Tala were out of the house by the time Kai woke up, showered, and went downstairs. He had no idea when his Grandfather would show up, but it was guaranteed to be random and dramatic. 

So Kai took his time.

He got dressed and purposely wore the dirtiest oldest sweatpants he could find, and a T-shirt. 

He lazily sat down on the couch and ate leftovers.

It was a little after lunchtime when he heard a knock on the door.

“Come in! Although you probably would even if you didn’t have permission.” Kai yelled towards the door.

He heard it open and close. His Grandfather slipped off his shoes and walked into the living room like he owned the place waving and giving a polite greeting to Kai.

“Hello Kai. How are you doing?” He looked Kai up and down. “Lazy Sunday I hope?” 

Kai scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Tyson and Tala aren’t here, so don’t make yourself at home. What do you want?” Kai said while sprawling his arms out on either end of the couch. 

His Grandfather sat on the second couch opposite Kai. 

“Well first of all to know how you’re doing…” 

“I’m doing fine.”

“Has your mental state improved?”

“I would say so yes.”

“Do you enjoy it here with Tyson?”

“Yes!” Kai rolled his eyes.

“I also wanted to give you this.”

Voltaire grabbed something from his pocket and slid it over on the table towards Kai. It was a brand new phone.

“Will you ever give me one still in factory packaging?” Kai sighed.

“Probably not.” 

“Is this one modified as well?” Kai picked it up while inspecting it.

“Moderately.” 

“Like how?” Kai narrowed his eyes.

Voltaire stayed silent. 

Kai dropped the phone on the table. “If it has a GPS chip again I’m not taking it. If it has any other unnecessary garbage it’s not mine.”

“Alright.” Voltaire said simply while picking up the phone and putting it back in his pocket.

Voltaire stood up.

“Well Kai I’m glad you’re fine now. If you are as stable as you say you are there is one more thing…”

“What is it?” Kai unconsciously sat up curiously. 

“Ah, so you are curious…” Voltaire grinned. “You know that guy you told me to find? Ah what was his name… Frederick? I found him. Actually my secret police found him here, in Japan.”

Voltaire scanned Kai for his reaction. Kai felt his whole body stop. His heart rate stopped, and then started to pound fast. He didn't know what he was feeling, fear, disgust, everything all at once. 

He just stared at his Grandfather unmoving. 

“So. I need your help identifying him. Tell me if he’s the right guy. I have him in a holding cell. Although he doesn’t seem quite sane. Will you come with me?” 

Kai felt his chest beating fast. He felt like he weighed five times his weight.

“S-sure…” Kai responded robotically. 

“Great. Come with me we’ll drive there.”

Kai pushed himself off the couch slowly and walked towards his Grandfather trying to stop himself from shaking. 

  
They had made it to the car. Kai and Voltaire rode in the back while the driver in the front was separated by a thick glass partition. 

“So Kai how do you feel about seeing him again?” Voltaire purposefully pushed the subject, either to get a rise out of Kai or to get a feel for the situation. 

Kai was looking out the window while leaning on his hand.

“What sorry?” Kai reacted dumbfoundedly. 

“How do you feel about seeing your ex-boyfriend?” Voltaire sounded out each word. 

Kai felt a growl rise from his throat.

“I wouldn’t classify him a boyfriend…” 

“So what would you call him?” Voltaire asked tilting his head.

“Well… I guess he is sort of an ex… But I never felt any romantic attachment to him, it was all physical… So I guess that would make him… I don't know?”

“A whore that doesn’t charge?” 

“No, more like… A fuckboy I guess?” Kai grinned slightly but was still caught in a serious daze. 

“Have you ever felt romantic feelings for anyone?” 

“No one in Russia. Well… No one ever really except maybe…” Kai cut himself off. He couldn’t feel the tips of his fingers.

“Tyson. Right?” Voltaire finished his sentence. 

“Yeah…” Kai said while looking back out the window. 

  
They parked in the underground parking of a large building in the heart of downtown. They took an elevator up many floors. They exited out of the elevator. Voltaire did everything with such grace, as if he had done this routine thousands of times before; Kai followed awkwardly. 

There were no windows on this floor. Kai had no idea how high up they were. There were no office workers in sight. As they moved further Kai sighted some tough guards wearing all black. 

“Those are just our police Kai, don’t worry.”

“ _Your _police.” Kai corrected him.__

____

____

“We’re here.” Voltaire stopped in front of a metal door. There was a keypad on the right side. He punched in a code and the door opened. They both walked inside.

The room was circular. They had walked into a control room of some sort with panels lining another room inside the room. The room inside was lined with windows so everyone could see in. It was lined with white padding. It had a steel bed with a single blanket and a table in the middle of the room with two chairs. There was one door, one way in and one way out. 

There was someone in the room sitting on the chair with his head face down in the table. His arms were crossed and tied to the table by shackles and chains. 

“We had a few problems with him, sir. So we were forced to tie him down.” A guard said appearing behind them. 

“Give me a detailed report ASAP.” Voltaire gestured to him with his hand and the guard left the room. 

With closer inspection, there were at least two other guards in the room as well as some someone else in a white coat writing on a clipboard.

Voltaire and Kai walked up to the girl in the white coat.

“Careful Mr. Hiwatari.” The girl looked up from writing to the clump of boy on the table within the room. “The windows may be fake mirrors on his side but he always knows who's here. Always.”

Right after she stopped talking Kai heard a clink of chains through a microphone on one of the control panels. The boy started to move from his broken posture over the table. 

“Who's here? There’s someone new here I can smell it.” A voice echoed through the room. It was in a low pitch, yet higher as if he was attempting to be cheery, but it sounded threatening. 

Kai’s whole body froze at the familiar yet destroyed and cracked voice coming from the speaker. 

“Is that him?” Voltaire asked Kai. 

Kai was still frozen, staring intently at the boy through the glass. He couldn’t see his face. Voltaire turned around and grabbed Kai’s shoulders.

“Kai? Is that him?” He tried again but couldn’t break through Kai’s wall.

Voltaire gently shook him.

“Kai!” 

“What? Yes. I mean. It sounds like him.” Kai looked back to his Grandfather.

It was obvious to everyone, even Voltaire, that Kai was terrified. 

“We can leave if you need to Kai.” Voltaire let go of him. 

Kai looked back to the boy leaning slightly off of the table.

“No. We’re fine. I’m safe behind here. And I need to see his face.”

Kai walked up to the control panels and put his hands on it, leaving into it and looking through the glass. He wanted to see his face. Just to know it was him.

The boy shivered. 

“Who is there? It’s familiar.” 

Kai could feel his blood freeze. He couldn’t move.

The boy put both hands on the table and pulled himself up with his head lowered. His hair was longer, it created a shadow over his face.

“Oh. It’s you.” 

The voice vibrated through the microphone into Kai’s ears. Voltaire surveyed Kai. Kai’s eyes were as wide as possible. 

“It’s been awhile since you left me alone in Russia.” He hissed the end of his sentence.

The boy bent his head backwards. His hair fell with his hand revealing a sweating, red, and aged face. His eye moved at the speed of light and landed on Kai, looking directly into Kai’s eyes. 

“Found you.” The voice seemed to whisper through the speaker.

Kai could feel his heart beating so fast he could barely hear over it. He had never had a panic attack before but he knew if he ever did, now would be the time. Voltaire hovered behind him with his arms extended.

“Kai are you okay-” Voltaire asked in a low voice desperately trying to make sense of Kai’s intentions. 

“Ha Ha! We’ve been playing a game of hide and seek Tai! And you _suck _at this game! But you sure are good at running, you’re good at _cheating _.”____

_____ _

_____ _

Frederick moved his whole body in Kai’s direction in one turn on one foot. It seemed broken, yet perfect. His head was tilted and he had a smile on his face that extended ear to ear. He tried to walk towards Kai. But was stopped by the chains on his hands that were shackled to the table. His smile instantly disappeared and was replaced with rage as he looked to the table. He started to violently tug his arms away and swing them up and down trying to free himself. 

He looked back to Kai. It scared him, He took a step backwards falling into his Grandfather; he didn't seem to notice. Voltaire tried to hold Kai up and balance him. Kai still looked at Frederick, afraid that if he looked away he would look back to find him right there, just like old times. 

Frederick took a large step forward and pulled with his whole body. Kai could hear horrible metal screeching sounds on the floor from the table. He was pulling the entire table off it’s bolts. 

There was a large crunch, and then more metal dragging. Kai was panting now, absolutely terrified. He was trying to get his grip on reality, grabbing a hold of his grandfather’s sleeves while looking at Frederick. 

Now Frederick was standing right up to the glass. Nearly two feet away from Kai. He slowly lifted a hand and placed it on the glass. He grinned.

Kai stopped dead in his tracks. Voltaire held him steady.

“Hello, Tai. Kai. Fuck!” He was immediately angry. He pulled his hand back balling it into a fist and throwing it against the glass. there was a soft thud.

“Don’t worry the glass is three inches thick!” One of the guards reassured Voltaire as they quickly made a plan.

“Fuck!” Frederick hollered as he grabbed his fist with his other hand clearly in pain.

“This cage won’t hold me Kai! Mark my words I will find you. Unless you want to come in here and prove you’re a man! Get in here! Punch me! Kill me!” Frederick was grinning and then curling his lip unevenly. He threw both his hands on the windows. “Kiss me!” Now Fredrick looked tired and torn. He slid down the glass falling into a puddle. “Get in here and be here! Love me, hate me…” 

Kai was shivering now. He pulled away from Voltaire.

“You okay Kai?” Voltaire asked.

“Yeah- yeah, fine.” 

Then Frederick climbed back up the wall with a slither. He put his forehead on it and threatened Kai in a low voice.

“Oh and… If I can’t make you love me. I’ll make you hate me. And I’ve been thinking, and thinking, and thinking. What’s the best way to make you hate me so much you want to hurt me? Make me yours, just for you. And I’ve decided…” He bit his lip and closed his eyes. He opened them and smiled as if he had just tasted something really good. “I’m going to kill that boy you love. What’s his name? Tyson? I did some research. Tyson Granger. You used to be on a team with him. He’s cute, really cute, but not after I’m done with him. I’m going to do what I did to your back, to his face.” 

Kai felt his whole body go from numbness, to heated rage in an instant. 

Kai took a deep breath and walked up to the microphone near the speaker while his veins burned with anger.

“Kai?!” Voltaire tried to stop him but it was too late.

Kai grabbed the microphone. 

“If you ever touch him you’re dead meat, do you hear me?!”

Frederick’s head shot up and he looked filled with joy.

“Tai?! Tai it really is you! And thank the lord! You’re here, you’re back…” 

“It’s Kai.”

“Well then Kai.” Frederick’s face shadowed again. “Then it’s Freddy to you.”

Kai unconsciously grinned and felt his body shiver. The sound of his voice and his name brought him back, he didn’t want to go back, but his body brought him there. 

“Good thing you’re in there, and I’m out here. Well, it’s a good thing for me.” Kai said slyly. 

Frederick threw his fist on the glass again.

“You’ll regret this Kai. Mark my words!” 

“Just you try me.” Kai said once more while turning the microphone off and violently pushing himself off the control board. Frederick started to rage.

“You get in here! Prove you’re a man! Get in here and prove how much you don’t care! Or instead go to your boyfriend! Get-”

His voice was cut off. Kai’s ears echoed silence. He looked down to find his Grandfather has flicked a switch on the control panel. 

“That’s enough of that.” Voltaire said simply while pulling his hand away from the controls.

Kai gave him a look with mixed feelings. Voltaire couldn’t tell if he was thankful or angry.

“Let’s go back to Tyson’s house. Now that we know that this is the guy, that’s all I need to know.” 

Kai scowled and looked back to Frederick who was still screaming at him through the glass. 

Kai loosened his shoulders and looked back to his Grandfather with a softer expression. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

Kai’s Grandfather had got a driver to get them to Tyson’s house right away. It was dark out now. 

The car stopped in front of the old wooden gate. They both sat there awkwardly for a moment. Kai folded his hands and looked out the window. 

“I’m sorry about today Kai. I didn’t know he had the ability to get you riled up like that…” 

It was odd to see his Grandfather apologizing. 

“Um. It’s okay. I didn’t mean for it to get out of hand like that…”

Kai felt awkward. It was a weird situation, and he couldn't believe he let his Grandfather see him like that.

“I do know you Kai. You would be surprised. I know why you liked him, what drove you to him. You never loved him. That is obvious. But what I don’t understand is why he makes you that angry.”

“He!-” Kai started but stopped himself. He took a deep breath to calm down before continuing. “He’s weird. I found out on my own that he used to court boys, make them love him, and then throw them to the streets. He would injure them somehow, and force them to stay with him, making them love him. When he found out I didn’t love him, he went berserk. Chased me through the streets. He- I saw him-” 

Kai grabbed both his arms. He felt like he was shivering. Flashes of the boy falling limply in front of him and the taste of the blood splatters around him flew through his head.

“Kai? Are you okay?” Voltaire reached forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m fine. He- After I left him, I hoped for good I tried to hook up with a boy in a club. We went to the alley to make out… I didn’t know- He was there- Shot him- in- in the head, right in front of me- a young boy.”

Kai felt his Grandfather’s hand on his shoulder turn to ice. Kai stopped shaking and looked up. He was suddenly angry. 

“He was also the one who shot me. The first night I met him. I didn’t know it then but I do now. I know what he’s capable of. I had every reason to be afraid of him. But not anymore, he’s locked up.” Kai said slowly calming himself down and giving Voltaire a gentle grin.

“He will pay for his crimes. Do not worry.” Voltaire exchanged the same anger Kai had. He pulled his hand off of Kai’s shoulder. “But you’re okay now?” 

“Yes. I’m fine. Like I said he’s locked up. It’s all behind me now.” 

“Good.” Voltaire fixed his posture. “Now, go to Tyson! He must be missing you.” Voltaire nudged Kai with his elbow, an odd gesture Kai didn’t expect.

“And I’m missing him.” Kai smiled; showing a happiness to his Grandfather he normally wouldn’t. 

“Bye.” Kai said while opening the door.

“Wait! Here.” Voltaire grabbed a bag from the opposite side of him and handed it to Kai. “It’s a present.”

“Thanks?” Kai hesitated but grabbed the bag. “Can I open it?”

Voltaire nodded and Kai reached into the bag. Inside was an unopened box with a picture of a newer model cell phone on it. 

“I figured you would like it better if I hadn’t messed with it. Now it starts from factory settings, there’s an instruction manual and everything.”

“Thanks Grandfather.” Kai thanked him slightly confused by the warm side he was showing. 

“Now go to Tyson! And get his number into your phone! Phone or text me for all my numbers.”

“Alright! Bye.” 

Kai opened the car door and jumped out. He closed the door behind him and walked towards the gate opening it. He looked behind him before shutting the gate. The car was unmoving. 

_Is he waiting for me to get inside? How weird._

As soon as Kai closed the gate behind him he heard the car skid away. 

_Weird._


	24. Chapter 24: Surprise!

“Kai!” 

Kai heard Tyson’s voice after he shut the door behind him.

“Yes! I’m here!” Kai shouted back and bent over to untie his shoes.

Kai felt a heavy force fall on him. Tyson had ran up to him and given him a very surprising hug.

“Hey woah woah!” Kai tried to balance himself and Tyson while standing with one shoe off and one shoe on.

“I had no idea where you went! You have to get a phone so I can get in touch with you or write a note or something!” Tyson hugged him harder.

“Sorry Tyson I was with my Grandfather! I do have a phone now!” 

Tyson pushed himself away from Kai but still had his arms around his neck.

“Guess what!” Tyson grinned.

“What?” Kai asked curiously while returning a smile. He couldn’t help but be happy when Tyson was happy.

“We have guests!” Tyson pushed away from Kai. 

Suddenly Kai heard an uproar from around the corner near the living room. A large, loud, and familiar crowd entered the entrance area.

“Kai!” Ray opened his arms and walked up to Kai.

“Wow! Ray?” Kai sounded surprised. 

Tyson took a few steps back so everyone could crowd around Kai. 

Max, Kenny, and Hilary too? Wow everyone’s here… And they all look so different.

Kai was stunned into a silence. Ray wrapped his arms around him, then Max came overtop and hugged him too. They pulled away and Hilary approached him next.

“It’s so good to see you!” She hugged him as well.

_God she sounds so mature. What happened to these people I used to know?_

“G-good to see you too…” Kai cleared his throat. He could feel heat rising in his cheeks. He wasn’t expecting these guys today. He wasn’t mentally prepared yet.

Tyson caught on to Kai’s awkwardness. He walked in front of everyone and get them to stop crowding him through some mild hand gestures. 

“Okay guys you've all had a long day after your surprise visit, you must have had long flights!”

“No it wasn’t bad.” Ray joked.

“You came from China! I came from America, do you have any idea how jet-lagged Kenny and I are?!” Max yelled towards him playfully.

_At least their moods haven’t changed. But Max sounds more formal…_

“As soon as we heard you were back Kai we started making plans to come!” Kenny said out loud. 

“No… You guys shouldn’t have come for me.” Kai sounded totally serious. His eyes started to glaze and his posture began to tense. Tyson knew this, he could start panicking soon. 

“Okay! Okay guys! To the living room! There’s more room there. It’s crowded!” Tyson shouted while pushing them away. Ray was the last to leave and Tyson turned around to Kai. “Sorry about that Kai! I wasn’t expecting them either…”

Kai’s chest was heaving. He was startled and still trying to piece the situation together.

“You okay Kai?” Tyson whispered while walking closer to him. He tried to grab for Kai’s shirt to calm him down through touch, but his hand was slapped away.

“Ow! Kai!?” 

“Sorry Tyson! I-” Kai was breathing heavily now.

“I didn’t mean to scare you Kai-” 

“It’s okay I’m sorry…” Kai backed up and bent over grabbing his shoe and starting to put it on.

“Are you guys okay?” Ray burst into the entrance way.

Kai could hear chatter from the other room. He was on edge and nervous. It felt like his whole head was on fire.

“I- I need to go.” Kai blurted out while fumbling trying to get his shoe on.

“Where are you going Kai?” Ray asked, unaware that he was pressing the situation. 

Tyson turned around and shot Ray a dirty look.

“Can you shut up Ray!”

Ray was taken back, shocked into silence. 

“Kai it’s okay…” Tyson tried to reassure him while rubbing his own hand. He wanted to reach out to him but he was afraid of hurting him, or getting hurt himself. 

Kai stood back up. 

“I just forgot something… Don’t worry…”

“Where are you going to go?” Tyson asked, slowly, trying to ease into everything.

Kai clenched his fist. He was embarrassed and angry and scared. It was all too much in one day.

“I don’t know!” Kai yelled without meaning too. He turned around and threw open the door. 

“Kai!” Tyson ran towards the door and held it open. Kai was running through the courtyard. 

The gate opened in front of him, it was Tala.

“Woah!” Tala jumped out of the way and Kai ran out of the gate before it closed.

“Kai!” Tyson started to run after him. He tried to dodge Tala but Tala reached to the side and grabbed Tyson by his stomach.

“Let me go Tala!” Tyson flailed his arms trying to free himself.

“Tyson! Stop!.” 

Tyson slowly settled down.

“He just needs some time alone. He wasn’t expecting this. You did really well trying to ease him into the situation, but he already had to deal with his Grandfather today. He’s done a lot, now he needs to be alone. Let him calm down, he will be back, you’re here after all.”

Tyson took a few deep breaths to calm himself. 

“Let's go inside. Everyone’s there right?” 

Tyson and Tala started walking towards the house.

“How do you know who’s here?” Tyson’s eyes narrowed.

“They texted me when their flight first got in.”

“But they didn’t text me?” Tyson said more angry at the situation. 

“They wanted to know if you and Kai weren’t home alone. They didn’t want to interrupt anything.” Tala laughed. 

“Interrupt what? Watching TV? We never do anything.” 

They got in the house. Ray was still standing at the entrance.

“Sorry Tyson-” Ray started but Tyson cut him off.

“No. I want to talk to everyone.” 

Tyson, Tala and Ray walked into the living room. Everyone was sitting on the couches taking and having a good time. Tala and Ray sat down while Tyson stood over top of them. He crossed his arms looking very pissed.

“I specifically asked you guys not to come.” 

“But we wanted to see Kai!” Max interrupted him.

“Even after I told you guys it was a bad idea? You still did it. Behind my back. And look what happened?! He ran out of the house! I was doing so well with him and now-”

“Tyson!” Tala stood up this time. “Don’t blame them. They wanted to see Kai too. They knew him well enough but they didn’t get to see what he is like now. He used to always be strong. They just assumed they could come and visit. No one would have thought he would have reacted this way.”

Tyson looked down, still angry, but starting to understand. 

“We just wanted to see him… I’m sorry.” Ray started. 

“It’s okay Ray. He’s a lot stronger than Tyson gives him credit for.” Tala tried to cheer Ray up.

“Don’t make me fight you again Tala. Kai’s not here to break it up.” Tyson growled. 

Tala threw his hands in the air defensively and dramatically.

“Woah.” Max blurted out reacting to the tension. 

Tyson sat down in the chair with great effort. He let out a long sigh.

“Don’t worry guys. He will be back after he gets more prepared to be here.” Tala tried to reassure everyone. He could feel the tension in the room lift a tiny bit.

“So… How is Kai really?” Kenny asked voicing everyone’s curiosity. They wanted to know the truth.

“Obviously pretty bad. I only live on the other side of town and even I’m not allowed over here.” Hilary spoke up sounding quite bitter.

“Look Hilary I’m sorry it’s just a bad situation!” Tyson was clearly unstable, and was sweating slightly. 

“Tyson calm down. Take a few deep breaths. Kai is going to be fine, we all know him.” 

Surprisingly Tyson followed Tala’s advice for once. He took a few breathes and everyone in the room calmed down. The thick fog grew less dense as Tyson’s mood went back to normal through the silence. 

“He’s… Doing better?” Tyson finally answered, although he sounded unsure himself. 

“He must have been doing really bad when you found him then.” Hilary half asked and half pointed out. 

“Yeah…” Tyson groaned. 

“He is doing better though.” Tala pointed out optimistically. 

“Oh yeah! You were with him through all of Russia right?!” Ray asked. 

“Most of it. I mean I was around…” 

“So what happened? How did he get shot?” Max asked, more concerned than curious. 

“Umm…” Tala looked to Max, then to Tyson. He knew Tyson didn’t want to know from him, he wanted to hear it from Kai. “I don’t think I should tell you guys. I never heard it from him anyways but from another friend so…”

“Well what did you hear?” Kenny pushed the subject. “Any information is good information to me.” 

Tala looked to Tyson again who was glaring at him.

“Fine Tala. If you want to tell us what you know go ahead and share.” 

“Really Tyson? I thought you wanted to hear it from Kai…” Tala was uneasy about the situation.

“It’s okay. He will tell me his version in time.” 

“Okay…” Tala took a deep breath and leaned back into the couch. 

“I found Kai running around Moscow one day. We were pretty close for a long time, a few months. But he started pulling apart after I started going out and doing more- er- business. He worked in the fighting pits a lot- It was rough but he made good money, he at least didn’t have to do what I was doing. He would hook up with boys mostly, I think he did a lot more girls in England but ultimately prefers boys. He started… Getting more rough with himself. I was scared. I found him in a club one day. I told him to get out, a gang was coming in and everyone was clearing out. He told me he would stay, I told him it as a bad idea, he did it anyways. He ended up hanging out with the leader of the Russian mafia.”

“Frederick…” Tyson said out loud without meaning too. He was starting to piece everything together bit by bit. 

“Yeah that's his name… How did you know?” Tala asked Tyson.

“Kai has told me some things about him…” Tyson looked side to side while surveying the room.

“Well that’s good… But apparently he met him that night. I didn’t see him for days after that. When I was filled in later the story went like this… He had to make up for Frederick buying him drinks, so he did him a ‘favour’. Frederick brought him to a small gang battle, that’s where Kai got shot and dragged back to Frederick’s apartment where he claimed he used to be a doctor and did at-home surgery. Then things get weird… He was a weird guy, but Kai was attracted to him… I think I knew why but… I’m not going to say it. I found him in the bar a few days later… He was limping, he told me he got shot. I panicked, I told him to stop living this way… Etcetera- Then he disappeared for ages. I think he went and lived with Frederick for a while. The day I found him again was with you Tyson, on the roof of the bar. Now we’re here.” 

He shocked the room into a silence.

“And that is about it. There’s a lot more but…” 

“It’s okay Tala. It’s enough. We all got a taste of what it was like for him, thank you.” Tyson tried to ease everyone away from the conversation. He didn’t want to shock anyone further, or dive any deeper into Kai’s personal life.

Tyson was visibly on edge more than anyone, his leg shook impatiently, and he was irritable. Tyson was trying to control the situation, but he didn’t realize that everyone was looking to control him as well.

“It’s okay Tyson. He will be back soon. Probably later during the night, like he used to all the time.” Ray smiled and reassured Tyson.

It seemed to help. Tyson stopped moving his leg.

“Thanks Ray, you’re right. I shouldn’t be so worried…” Tyson nodded.

Tyson thought for a few moments, then decided to drag himself back to the present. 

“So where are you guys staying tonight? A hotel? Or do you want to stay here? I do have room. I have a spare room downstairs by the kitchen, but Tala is using that, a spare room upstairs, but Kai occasionally uses that one too, I have the living room and the Dojo, although the Dojo gets kind of cold at night…”

“Well we were planning to get a hotel, but we plan to stay for a few days… so that adds up…” Kenny said uneasily. 

“Is it okay if we stay here? Cause that would be a big help!” Ray pointed out thankfully. 

“We just didn’t want to surprise you and then stay at your house on top of it all.” Max apologized. 

“No it's fine! I’m okay with you guys staying here. I was just worried about it making Kai anxious but… He's a big kid, I think he can handle it.” Tyson smiled, trying to hide his uneasiness. 

“Awesome! Thanks Tyson! But I have a question…” Ray gave off a smirk.

“What is it?” 

“What do you mean by Kai uses the spare room occasionally?” 

Max’s mouth hung open, and both Kenny and Hilary looked at Ray admiring his cunning way of asking questions. 

Tyson laughed slightly before answering. 

“Well most of the time he sneaks into my room and sleeps with me, but technically he is using that room, he just doesn’t… Use it.”

“Oh! You guys sleep together?” Ray asked excitedly, as if he had been waiting for this moment for ages.

“But, in what way?” Max asked flirtatiously, amping up the game.

“We sleep together but we don’t _sleep _together!” Tyson tried to defend himself desperately.__

____

____

“Oh ho ho ho ho?” Ray joked.

“No! Ah! We haven't had sex! We haven’t even kissed yet!” Tyson said angry at the truth more than the invasive questions.

“Really?” Ray sat back in his chair looking into the distance, analyzing the situation. 

Tyson sighed, “No.” 

“That must suck. How long has he been here for?” Max asked. 

“Um… Almost a month now? Hilary you’re almost four months now right?” 

“Yes! And I was almost three when he first got here!” 

“Yeah, so he’s only been here around a month, same with you Tala.” Tyson folded his hands uncomfortably. 

“Well that's not bad. It will take time. I wouldn’t be too worried Tyson.” Ray got up from his seat on the couch opposite Tyson. He walked over to sit beside Tyson on the couch he was sitting on alone.

“I just… I guess I expected more? Faster maybe? I don’t know.” Tyson admitted glumly. 

Tala shifted in his seat as well. “You have admitted your feelings for him, and it was straight forward right?”

“Yes! On several occasions! I’ve told him I love him… But he’s never told me anything like it back, or even made any moves.” Tyson sighed and covered his face in his hands. Ray put his hand on his back to comfort him. 

“You know.” Tyson started while lifting his face away from his hands. His face looked wet now, he had tears in his eyes. “I just… I know it hasn’t been that long, and I know it’s hard for him, and I know that… I might be expecting too much too soon but… Is it wrong that I just want one thing? One sign? Something?”

“No offense Tyson… But how well do you know Kai’s romantic self?” Ray asked while gently rubbing Tyson's back, he could tell he had the potential to break out in a sobbing mess, so he was trying to be as gentle as possible. 

“Umm…” Tyson sniffed, “not well I guess…”

“Yeah. Maybe he is trying to be romantic, but you can’t tell. Like him sneaking into bed with you, or even the way he hugged you when he got home today. That might be his way of loving you right now, it may not be physical but it’s emotional, and considering how Kai has always been, and what he has been through recently, it seems like he has come a long way.”

“You do make a point…” Tyson felt a grin slip through his wet face.

_Ray is right. Maybe I just need to give him more time. If our feelings are real… Our relationship should naturally progress. Hopefully_


	25. Chapter 25: Dirty Shots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some *Almost* Sex Stuff :^)

Everyone had gone to sleep now. It was after midnight and everyone was sound asleep after their long flights. Hilary went home, Max, Ray, and Kenny made futons in the living room and slept there, Tala went back to his room and Tyson went upstairs to sleep. 

The door to the house was unlocked and slowly opened. No one woke up, even as Kai climbed the stairs. He was in front of the door to Tyson’s room. He opened it gently. 

“Mmmm, Kai? Is that you?”

“Yeah.” Kai answered back through the darkness. He closed the door behind him.

“Well get in here you must be cold.” Tyson mumbled through a sleepy voice.

Kai didn’t want to crawl in with dirty clothes. He was walking around outside for a while and thought it would be rude. He threw off his shirt and dropped it on the floor, as well as his pants and socks. Kai knew his way to the bed through the dark now. He climbed on to the bed and into the covers no problem.

“Ah! Damn you’re cold Kai. No shirt? That’s not like you.” Tyson glided his hands over Kai’s stomach. “No pants either?”

“Nope. Too lazy to find clothes.” Kai admitted, exhausted himself. 

“It’s the middle of the night, Kai, you can’t get me all excited… being naked beside me like this.”

“I’m not naked. I’m wearing boxers, besides you won’t do anything.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.” 

“I’m a persuasive guy Kai…” Tyson said groggily.

Tyson reached down faster than Kai expected and grabbed a handful of all his regions. Kai jumped immediately and grabbed Tyson’s hand away.

“Tyson!” 

“See? I did something… haha.” 

Tyson’s face was right in front of Kai’s. He pulled himself up and was on top of Kai now with the blankets still on top of them. 

“Haaah! See! I can do things, I just don’t cos I don’t want you to be uncomfortable…” Tyson moved his body down then up, in a rhythmic way that turned Kai on. 

“Tyson…”

“Kai?” Tyson bit his lip playfully closing his eyes.

Kai reached up both arms and grabbed Tyson by the shoulders and flipped him around onto his back. Tyson didn't reject it or fight back, he just went with the flow.

“You’re tired, you’re not thinking straight.” Kai rolled on to his back besides Tyson. “I know you’re impatient. I want to do it too. But it’s not the right time. Not yet. But we will, okay?” 

“Hmmmmm k…” Tyson took a deep breath in and let it out.

_He’s tired._

“Go to sleep Tyson. I’ll see you and the guys in the morning. Night.” 

Everyone woke up awkwardly. Tyson walked down the stairs with Kai following behind him.

They all pretended like nothing had happened.

Kai was engaged and included in conversations like normal, but he still kept the persona of the black sheep. They all mutually agreed to go out for breakfast, then they spent the day together. 

They were all standing by a lookout point by the ocean. They recognized the place from when they used to train in the area. They stood in a circle talking. It was later in the day now, they had spent most of their time running around town and looking at shops and old places they used to visit.  
“Hey, do you guys know any good bars around here?” Max asked out of the blue.

“I know a few, most of them are really gay. But I know a few good ones. I didn’t know you drank?” Tyson answered. 

“Are you kidding me? Max’s pastime is picking up girls in bars.” Kenny laughed. 

  
Before Kai knew it they were sitting in a local bar. It had an old European feel. There was fake brass everywhere. The drinks looked fancy but probably tasted awful. 

Kenny, Hilary, and Tala had went home. Kenny had research to do, Tala had ‘work to do’, and Hilary didn’t want to ‘bring her prego ass into a bar’. This left just the four guys. 

Everyone ordered drinks, someone tried to order a ‘White Russian’ for Kai, he laughed, it felt odd to everyone else to see him laugh. 

Of course Ray was the first to order a round of shots. 

“Why did you order one for everyone? Someone has to stay sober enough to walk us home.” Tyson pointed out, he was serious but slightly tipsy already. 

“You make a good point, Tyson, so, who wants to be the sober one?” Ray asked, he looked to Kai, “You’ve barely touched your beer, and you were technically the captain of our team, do you want to play Dad tonight?” 

“That sounds so wrong.” Kai rolled his eyes. 

“I don’t imagine you drinking a lot Kai. Am I right? I mean I’ve finished at least two drinks now and you are barely halfway through your beer.” Ray seemed to challenge Kai as soon as his new drink was arriving. 

“No, I’ve drank a lot, I just don’t know how I feel about you guys seeing me drunk.” 

“Oh man I want to see that.” Tyson said enthusiastically. 

Ray raised his drink. “Come on Kai, you seem like a lightweight, prove it to me.” 

Kai raised his drink as well, “You’re on.” 

“This can only end terribly, but hopefully it will be funny.” Max clapped his hands together. 

Kai and Ray started to chug, Kai finished first since he had less there. Max called for more drinks, two more beers arrived and they did the same thing. Kai finished first again. 

They threw their empty glasses down on the table. 

“We need those shots!” Ray said with slurred words. 

“Agreed.” Kai stated with a surprising amount of composure. 

A waitress came by and laid a platter on their table with four shots. 

“The, um, shots you asked me for...” she said awkwardly before slipping away. 

“Ah yes thank you!” Ray grabbed one of the four, “These are for me and Kai to start off with, do you know what kind of shot this is?” 

“I can safely say I have no fucking clue,” Max stared at it blankly. 

“I know exactly what it is, I’ve only had it ordered for me as a joke.” Kai grinned and picked one up. 

Tyson started laughing “You actually asked that waitress to give you four blowjobs?” 

Max started laughing so hard he was almost crying. “Is that what it is actually called? I wanted to say based off the whip cream it could be nothing but a joke!” 

“You are aware these have next to no alcohol in them right? It’s mostly sugar?” Kai took the shot expertly and slammed the empty glass back on the platter after flipping it upside down in midair. 

Ray took his shot next. And copied his movements. 

They both grabbed for the next shot in unison and did the same thing.

Ray grinned. “Kai I’m proud that you know how to take a shot like a bitch.” 

“Excuse me? We aren’t even getting started.” Kai gave him a sly grin back. 

“Ohhhh shiiit.” Max covered his mouth with his hands. He leaned into Tyson and covered his mouth with his hand and whispered to him, “do you see the way your boyfriend loves a challenge?” 

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Tyson hissed back, “Yet!”. 

“We all know that’s a load of BS,”  
The waitress came back around asking if they could get them something else, Ray raised his hand to answer but Kai stopped him. 

“Okay first of all I’m going to stop you from ordering another weak ass drink, and up our game. Can we get some tequila shots?” 

The waitress turned around to go get it. Ray’s mouth hung open.

“Oh you are so on Kai!” 

“Kai you’ve done tequila shots before?” Tyson asked. 

“I used to do them all the time, you can’t beat me Ray.” 

“Oh we will see about that.” 

The platter of shots arrived. There were eight, four each. 

“No, we will probably need more than that.” Kai pointed out, Ray tried to hide his mild panic. 

There were limes and salt on the platter as well. Ray fumbled to balance the salt with the lime, while Kai placed the salt on his hand and lime in between his fingers expertly. 

“So I’m assuming the rules of the game is whoever takes the most the fastest right?” Tyson pointed out, making sure they had safe guidelines at least.

“Yep.” Ray answered while staring intensely into Kai’s eyes.

Kai looked back at him tilting his head towards Tyson, while maintaining eye contact. 

“Tyson, you give the word.” 

“Alright? On your marks, get set? Go!?” 

Ray already shivered while licking the salt off his hand, Kai closed his eyes slightly and licked from the bottom straight up, getting all the salt in one swift motion; seeing Kai do such a messy act turned Tyson on a little bit. 

Then shot, Ray took it, cautiously, but he took it. Kai swung his head back and swallowed in another quick motion that impressed everyone. 

Then lime. Kai threw down his shot glass upside down first, Ray second, dropping it right-side up. Ray bit into the lime giving off a sour face, Kai did it showing next to no emotion, beyond the satisfaction of winning. 

The second shot, Kai was already in the lead, Ray lagged behind, hesitant to lick the salt, and lazily taking the shot. 

On the third shot Ray licked the salt and stopped before taking the shot to take a deep breath, Kai was already done and on to the fourth. 

“Come on Ray! You said you could do this!” Max urged him on.

“No- I can’t.” Ray slurred his words and sounded sick. 

“Oh my god don’t push him!” Tyson pleaded. 

Kai finished his fourth shot and dropped it on the table stopping. 

“Come on Ray! Tryyyy to keep up!” Kai’s words were almost completely slurred. 

Ray was stubborn and took his shot, and shoved the lime in his mouth immediately and dropped it. 

“Okay, I’m done, I am so fucking done. You win, I should not had underestimated you.” 

Ray rubbed his face with his hand.  
Kai jumped up, he stood up, he almost fell but caught himself. He walked to the side of the table Ray was on. 

“See! I told you! I am so good at tequeela shots!” Kai pointed at Ray’s face and poked it drowsily. 

“That’s enough guys! It was fun but we need to be getting home, I’ll go pay the bill-” Tyson got up and grabbed Kai around his stomach to keep him upright, but Kai pushed himself away.

“No. I’ll pay!”

“Kai you have no money!” Tyson smiled at his silliness, he would never show this side of himself in any other circumstance.

“You see, Tyson.” Kai leaned into Tyson’s neck, and held himself up by grabbing Tyson’s shirt. “That’s the plus side of being rich, I don’t need money!” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet. “I have credit cards! Donated by you-know-who- Dickbag in black clothes-” 

Kai tried to push himself away from Tyson but almost fell again. 

Tyson leaped forward and held him up, he giggled “I’ll just pay Kai, you can pay me back later.” 

It took a while to drag everyone back home, Tyson took Kai, and Max let Ray balance on his shoulder. 

Max practically threw Ray down to his futon. He laid there drowsily on his stomach and fell asleep. 

Kai was being super clingy. He had both his arms wrapped around Tyson, either for balance, or because he wanted too. 

“Well I guess I’ll be going to bed too then. I’m pretty tired. I’ll leave you guys alone.” Max winked, “And don’t worry, I wear earplugs to bed, I won’t hear a thing.” 

“Oh my god Max.” Tyson rolled his eyes. 

Max wished Tyson and Kai a good night. Then Tyson dragged Kai up the stairs. 

“I’ve never seen you drunk before but you are totally _hammered _.” Tyson grinned while pulling Kai up the last step.__

____

__

“I’ve been worse.” Kai admitted while pulling away from Tyson and attempting to guide himself to Tyson’s bedroom. 

“Kai you just walked past my bedroom.” 

“Ah riiiight.” Kai turned around on one foot and walked through Tyson’s bedroom. Tyson followed him inside, and closed the door behind them.

“Do you want me to shower before or after bed?” Kai asked with half closed eyes. 

“What does that mean- Oh you want to shower before bed?” Tyson asked confused.

“Yes! I smell funny, you probably don’t want that in our bed.” Kai ruffled his hair with both hands. 

“Our bed, huh?” Tyson uncontrollably smiled, feeling a sense of happiness at the comment. 

“We both sleep there!” Kai tried to defend himself. 

“Kai if you do want to shower I can’t let you do it alone, you will probably slip and fall.” 

“I’ll be fiiiine.” Kai brushed him off.

“No, you won’t.” 

“Fine let's both take a shower!” Kai pouted, he looked frustrated for no reason. 

“Alright. It is the most logical way to do it.” Tyson shrugged his shoulders and walked to the bathroom excitedly. 

Kai followed him. As soon as he walked into the bathroom Tyson turned around and started to pull off his shirt. 

“Okay?” Tyson asked.

“Okay.” Kai responded.

Tyson stopped after taking his shirt off. 

“What is wrong Tyson? Keep going!” Kai’s words sounded almost jumbled. 

Kai was wavering back and forth because of lack of balance. 

No. This is wrong.

“Kai. You know what? It’s okay. Don’t worry, we will just wash the sheets tomorrow okay?”

“Nooo! I thought we were going to have a super sexy shower togetherr.” Kai let his head fall into Tyson’s shoulder. 

He seemed like he legitimately wanted to. But Tyson knew his judgement was clouded. 

“Naw let's go back to bed, k?” Tyson moved his shoulder so Kai was upright again. He grabbed Kai’s hand and led him to bed. 

Tyson took off his shirt and pants, like he would every night before bed. Kai did too. 

“Kai?” Tyson turned around to look at him. It always seemed odd when he took his clothes off since he slept in them all the time. 

Tyson suddenly felt himself be thrown on to his back on the bed and felt a weight on top of him. His arms were held above his head.

Kai was kneeling over top of him. 

“Kai what the-”

“Shh! Hush…” Kai arched his back when he leaned into Tyson and started to kiss his neck and nibble it gently. 

“Kai stop… Ah…” 

“Alright.” Kai obeyed his commands and sat back upright.  
Kai grabbed Tyson’s hands and held each. He used them to keep himself upright. 

“Did you know you look really really reeaaallly hot in just your boxers?” Kai said in a rough voice just above a whisper. 

“Kai-” Tyson knew he should stop him but it was hard, he felt like he fell under Kai’s spell. 

Then Kai started to do something Tyson wouldn’t have expected.

“Kai!-” 

Kai was moving his hips up and down as he sat on top of Tyson’s dick. He looked directly into Tyson’s eyes and bit his lip when he did it. 

“Kai! Kai, stop!” Tyson begged and grabbed his hips forcing him to stop. 

Kai stopped and let go of Tyson’s hands. He bent down and kissed Tyson’s chest and moved down to his underwear. He stroked the edges of his underwear.

“Woah! Woah! Kai, do not! Get up!” Tyson grabbed Kai’s hair and tried to push him away. 

“Can I at least suck you off a little bit?” Kai’s voice was honey, and his face flipped every switch in Tyson’s body.

“No! I don’t want to!” Tyson had to stop him, even though every nerve in his body wanted to do everything with him. 

“But you’re soooo hard?” Kai grinned and grabbed the edge of Tyson’s shaft. 

“Fuh!-” Tyson tried to pull himself into a sitting position leaving Kai on his knees in front of him. 

“But you’re even pre-cumming-” Kai opened his mouth, the way he talked and moved his tongue sent electric shocks through Tyson’s body.

“No! Kai! You’re drunk! Stop…” 

Kai tried to reach forward again and Tyson jumped and rolled off the bed.

“Tyson?” Kai fell on to his back. “Coooooomee ooooonn!” 

Tyson sighed, he knew Kai wouldn’t listen to reason. 

“You know what Kai? I’m going to go to the washroom. When I get back we can do that.” 

Kai grinned and rolled on to his stomach. He grabbed a pillow excitedly and cuddled it looking at Tyson with a super excited face. 

Tyson turned to the bathroom and practically ran to it. He knew Kai would be sound asleep when he got back, but Kai had riled him up too much. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He wasted no time in pulling down his boxers and jerking it as hard as possible. 

_Fuck! Kai, you can’t get me all riled up like this and not do anything! Fuck- He makes me feel things- Things I don’t feel for regular guys, or any guys, or anyone I’ve ever met. Even guy’s I’ve slept with I’ve never had this connection. I want to sleep with him, but I want to do more than that. I want to make love to him, I want to have him as mine forever, ours, us, I need him._

It was faster than usual but he finished. He was breathing heavily. He only thought about Kai the whole time. He cleaned himself up before he went back out. 

Just like he had predicted, Kai had fallen asleep in the same position he had left him in. Tyson gently sneaked to the other side of the bed. He looked at Kai’s peaceful sleeping face. 

_Fuck. Why won’t you love me?_


	26. Chapter 26: Life Has It's Ups and Downs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *S3x Stuff :)*

When Kai woke up Tyson was gone and he immediately knew he was hungover. 

“Mmmmm… Ow.” 

Kai tasted his mouth and scrunched up his face.

“Ew.” 

It took loads of effort to sit up and get out of bed. He went towards the bathroom. The first thing he did was brush his teeth and shower. When he was taking off his clothes he became more aware of his surroundings and discovered something.

_Wow I am super pent up right now. I mean I haven’t done anything in ages but- Wow where did this even come from?_

He got into the shower and turned the water on to hot. He had been taking hotter showers recently thanks to Tyson’s hot as hell shower habit. 

He tried to wash his hair and body but got too distracted. He ended up leaning against the wall and jerking it. 

He felt guilty to be doing something like this in Tyson’s house, he hadn’t yet. 

He tried not to think too hard but Tyson kept popping into his head. He was already feeling guilty enough he didn’t want to think about Tyson too and make it even weirder. 

“His soft lips…” Kai said under his breath. No one could hear him in the shower, as long as he finished quickly there would be no questions. 

“How do I know he has soft lips?” Kai stopped momentarily. 

What happened last night?

Kai tried to trace his steps. 

He couldn’t remember anything after his second or third shot. 

_Oh no what did I do?_

There was a knock on the bathroom door. Kai jumped startled. 

“Kai, you doing okay? You’re taking longer than usual…” 

Kai recognized Tyson’s voice. His shoulders relaxed. His hand kept moving, he wanted to stop but… 

_Tyson is right there._

“I’m!- I’m fine Tyson don’t worry! I’m almost done- Just- Just washing up! I’m gross from last night… ha-ah!” 

“You sure you’re okay? Do you remember anything from last night?” Tyson said through the door. 

“Not- not really. Not after my second shot…” 

It had been so long since Kai had done anything sexual, probably since Frederick. He hadn’t even touched himself. It felt like heaven. He bent his head back and kept going. His mouth hung open as water droplets fell down his body. 

“Well you got pretty weird… Wait. What are you doing in there? Are you masturbating?!” Tyson said in disbelief, but he also sounded excited. 

“No- I’m- maybe a little bit…” Kai admitted guiltily.

“Really Kai?! That’s great! Can I come in?” Tyson was oddly enthusiastic. 

“Um!? I’d rather you not-” 

Kai heard the door creak open and shut. Tyson sat on the toilet and continued the conversation.

“How does it feel? Does it feel good? I haven’t seen you do anything yet, have you? Or are you just really sneaky about it? 

Kai had stopped, and rolled his eyes. “No I haven’t done anything yet! It feels really good. And I’m trying but you’re a little distracting…”

“I’m distracting? Why don’t you use me to your advantage instead?” 

Kai could feel Tyson’s playing. 

“Stop toying with me! I’m just trying to have a good time!” 

“I’ll give you a good time.” Tyson said in a seductive voice. 

“Stop trying to verbally sext me through a shower curtain…” 

“Oh I can? And you will like it. The guys are out of the house. It’s just us.”

“Everyone’s gone? Well that’s a relief.”

“Hey Kai?” 

“What?” 

“Want to hear my best sex noise?” 

I don’t-”

Tyson made a short well practiced moan through the curtain. 

And he was right, it was very good. Kai unconsciously started to rub it again. 

“Kai that was only like foreplay moaning, fucking me would be a lot different, trust me.” 

“Jesus…” Kai said exasperated. 

“Do you like noise Kai? I feel like you do…” 

“A little bit yeah.” Kai admitted while going harder.

“Do you like making other people make the noise? Or making it yourself?” 

“A little bit of both I guess…” 

“So make some right now.” 

Kai was almost ready to cum. His whole head felt fuzzy. Everything was on edge. 

“Mmmm fuck…” Kai said.

“That was pretty good Kai, but it wasn’t sexy enough. Are you about to cum?” 

“Yeah- Ah-”

“Almost there Kai?”

Kai felt the release and simultaneously let out a loud noise, a kind of noise he hadn’t made in a long time. 

“That was good Kai. It was a kind of a mixture between a moan and a pleasure scream. I bet you're breathing really hard.”

“Ha… Yeah.” Kai admitted. 

Tyson grabbed a towel for him. “Are you almost finished showering?” 

“Yeah. Just let me clean up a bit.” 

After a minute or two the tap turned off and Tyson put his hand through the shower curtain looking away while handing Kai his towel.

“Hey Kai? Did you know you tried to have sex with me when you were drunk last night?” 

“What!?” Kai shrieked and threw opened the shower curtain with the towel wrapped around his waist. 

“Yeah! You did!” Tyson laughed. 

Kai looked stunned as he walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom. Tyson handed him some of his own clothes for Kai to wear. 

“Thanks.” Kai looked to Tyson who looked away while he got changed. It was good, Kai didn’t mind if Tyson saw his back anymore, they were making some progress. 

“Hey Tyson? Do you mind if I ask you why you didn’t let me?” 

Kai finished putting on his clothes and tapped Tyson’s shoulder to show he was done. 

“You were drunk. It felt wrong. I thought about it, I honestly did. You seemed coherent enough to actually want it, considering you initiated everything, but I also thought ‘what would sober Kai want?’ and the answer was ‘not this’. So I left and let you go to sleep on your own.” 

“That makes sense… Thank you. That would explain why I felt so pent up when I woke up…” Kai mumbled. 

“What?” 

“Nothing! Sorry I get really horny when I’m drunk… I should have told you that.” 

Kai looked down awkwardly.

“Aww Kai don’t worry! Let’s go make some breakfast! I think the guys are out for the day, we have aaalll day to be alone!”


	27. Chapter 27: Hanging By a String

“Shit! I’m missing ingredients!” Tyson yelled into the fridge.

“We could go buy some?” Kai suggested. 

“Well I can’t leave everything here half prepared with the stove and frying pan stuff…” 

“Calm down! Just make a list I’ll go to the supermarket and buy it!” Kai hugged him gently. 

Tyson made out a short list. He handed it to Kai. “Get the good stuff too! The brands I suggested!” 

“Yep, of course, Tyson!” 

Kai was walking to the supermarket a bit down the road. He walked in and started to pick out ingredients. He felt like he hadn't been out long. His phone started to ring. 

He reached into his pocket and picked it up, assuming it would be Tyson telling him not to forget something. 

“Hello? Tyson?”

“No Kai it’s your Grandfather.” 

“Um.. What's up?”

“I’m so sorry Kai.”

It sounded like his grandfather was shaking, as if he was on edge. 

“What the hell happened Grandfather.” 

“I’m sorry Kai… Everything was perfect it was maximum security even I don’t know how he got out…”

Kai dropped everything he was holding in his arms on to the floor except the phone. He tried to keep his sanity.

“What are you trying to say Grandfather!? Spit it out!” 

“Frederick escaped Kai, I’m so so so sorry- I-”

Kai started running. 

“Bring your stupid secret police to my house right now!” 

Kai hung up the phone and put it in his back pocket before running full pace out of the supermarket and up the hill back to the Dojo. 

He ran faster than he ever had before. He was desperate. He was going to protect the person he cared about most in the world. 

He ran through the gate and through the front door. 

“Tyson! Where are you!?” 

There was a moment of silence. He could hear nothing but the sound of his breathing and heart rate and ticking of Grandpa’s old clock in the living room. 

Then his heart stopped.

“I’m in the dojo!” 

It was Tyson’s voice. Unmistakably Tyson’s voice. 

Kai slowly walked down the hallway. He knew Tyson had no reason to be in the Dojo, he knew the first thing Frederick would do when he escaped was hurt what he loved. 

He slowly opened the door to the Dojo. Tyson was sitting on the ground. There was a man behind him with his arms around his neck, holding an instrument. 

“Tyson!” Kai pleaded immediately. 

It was Frederick behind him for sure, with his old sadistic sly grin. 

Kai tried to take a step closer. 

“Don’t! You dare get any closer, you know what’ll happen.” Frederick moved the object around Tyson’s neck. It glittered in the sunlight. It was a serrated knife. 

“Don’t you dare touch him Frederick-”

“Or what? You will hurt me?”

“Oh yes…” Kai said through his teeth with a snarl on his face. 

Kai looked into Tyson’s eyes. He looked terrified. 

_I’ll get you out of here I promise, I promise._

Kai tried to give him the mental message. 

Kai could feel every end to every nerve his body. His brain wanted him to panic, to burst into tears, to scream and yell and rip open Frederick’s throat. But he stood still. He carefully analyzed the situation, with a calm he hadn’t felt since his younger days with Tyson, before everything went to shit. 

“Hey Kai…” Frederick said in a raspy voice. “Did you miss me?” 

Kai looked at Frederick. He tried to figure him out in a split second, what he would want, what he could tell was fake, what he could tear apart in his damaged mental state. 

“Honestly?” Kai asked him. 

“Tell me as honestly as possible.”

“I missed you more than the world.” Kai breathed out gently. 

Tyson looked panicked, but Frederick’s eyes seemed to melt. 

“Are you saying that cause ya mean or, or cause I have your boyfriend’s life in my hands!?” Frederick said angrily. 

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my best friend. And yes, I mean it.” Kai said desperately, “please don’t hurt him!” Kai had tears in his eyes. 

Kai moved a foot forward, Frederick didn’t move, so he moved his other foot, making it only a few steps closer. 

“Ah ah ah! Watch it Kai. I’m being lenient cause I love you… Did you mean everything you said? All the good stuff? All the bad stuff?” 

Frederick’s looked broken. He was unclean and mentally unstable. 

“I- I meant a lot of things, and I didn’t mean others, can we not waste time on the little things… Can you just come here please?” Kai opened his arms trying to welcome him. 

Kai could see him loosen his grip on the knife around Tyson’s neck, he could breath easier now. 

“Kai, be honest. Do you love me?” Frederick glared at Kai. 

His eyes didn’t waver. Kai felt everything in his chest want to burst. 

“I- Freddy-”

“Yes, please call me that…” Frederick closed his eyes as if the name was orgasmic. 

“Russia was a hard time for me. Maybe… If we stayed together, away from Russia away from everything… We could- Maybe-”

“You could love me!?” Frederick said excitedly. 

Kai knew he was almost there, just a little more. He held his arms out more.

“Yes! Come here!” 

Frederick let go of Tyson who tried to catch his breath.

Kai had made the ultimate distraction, but he wasn't there yet.

He still had the knife. 

Frederick dropped the knife at Kai’s feet as Kai put his arms around him and Frederick pushed himself into Kai forcefully kissing him. 

Frederick was passionate, Kai was not. 

Frederick pulled away and hugged Kai hard. Kai put his head on Frederick’s shoulder and looked at Tyson. 

The look Tyson gave him was of pure betrayal. Kai felt a pained expression show on his face and felt sick through his whole body. 

“Frederick?” 

“Yes Tai.” 

“That’s not my name. And sorry. I do love one person on this planet.”

“Kai…” Frederick rubbed his face on Kai’s shoulder.

“And it’s Tyson. It’s not you. I hate you. You hurt me and my friends, and you threatened Tyson’s life. I can’t live with that.” Kai still looked at Tyson.

Tyson’s face lit up a bit brighter. He held his neck. 

Frederick tried to push himself off Kai and grab the knife. Kai threw him on the other side of the room, he hit a wall with a hard thud. 

Kai picked up the knife and twirled it. Then tossed it to the other side of the room, far away from everyone.

“You’ve been locked up for a while, while I have still been working out. I don’t think it’s fair do you? You’re used to knives, and guns, while I know how to fight with my fists, do you know why I loved to fight in the fighting pits in Russia?” 

“Why?” Frederick spat.

“Because fighting with fists last longer, and it hurts more.” 

Kai threw a punch into his stomach. 

Frederick howled in pain. 

Kai punched him next in the face.

“That was for shooting Sasha and me.”

Kai punched him in the throat.

“That was for killing that boy in front of me.”

Kai kicked him in the jewels.

“That was for abusing me.”

“You liked it!” Frederick had blood dripping out of his mouth.

Kai picked him up by the collar of his shirt. 

“Abusing me and the other boys, you have a system, and it worked, even for me, except I never fell in love with you.”

“Your mistake.” Frederick tried to roll his eyes but coughed with the effort. 

“And because you tried to hurt the most important thing to me. What should I do?” 

Frederick looked at him blankly, but his eyes were filled with fear. 

Kai threw him down to the floor with all his strength.

He didn’t get back up.

“If you ever try to hurt Tyson or anyone else I love ever again I will kill you! Do you understand? 

Kai lifted his leg to kick him again but he felt a warm touch on his shoulder. It was Tyson. 

“He’s down Kai. He’s not getting back up.”

“Tyson!” Kai’s eyes were filled with tears now. He grabbed Tyson right away and hugged him as forcefully as possible. 

Kai couldn’t help it, he started crying hysterically. 

“I’m sorry, Tyson!” 

“It’s okay, Kai. Shh ssshhh. Hush. It’s okay. It’s just you and me now.” 

At that moment their house became invaded with men in black suits, with guns and shields. It was the Hiwatari secret police, fashionably late. 

“We’re here.” Voltaire ran into the room.

There were already men picking up the parts of Frederick. 

“Kai! Tyson!” Voltaire ran over to them. 

“Are you two okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” 

Kai’s face was burrowed into Tyson’s shoulder. 

“I’m so happy you’re alive Tyson…” Kai sobbed again. 

Kai reached up with one hand and gently ruffled the back of Tyson’s head, almost to make sure he was all there. 

“You guys can go into the living room if you want. Don’t worry, we will cleanup and repair everything, and you guys have no more worries about Frederick.” Voltaire assured them. 

Kai slowly pulled away from Tyson with one hand still attached to him.

Voltaire looked startled. Seeing Kai like that must have been a first. 

“Kai… Was it you who did this to him?” Voltaire said while looking at Frederick’s limp body being dragged out of the building. 

“Yes. The bastard deserved it.” Kai’s face wrinkled, sour. 

“How did you learn to…” Voltaire prodded.

“I used to work in the fighting pits. And I know his weaknesses, and I was angry.” Kai squeezed Tyson’s arm, “really angry.” 

“Come on Kai let's go make some tea…” Tyson tried to calm Kai down but he was still shaking and on edge too. 

The secret police were gone now except for two guards stationed outside. It had been about an hour now. An hour of silence. Voltaire, Tyson, and Kai sat in the living room sipping tea. They were all just trying to calm down. 

Their loud obnoxious group of friends walked through the door and into the living room.

“Woah what’s up guys? Did someone die?” Max asked.

“Almost.” Kai replied coldly.  
“Woah sorry.” Max apologized. 

Kai stood up and walked into the kitchen and disappeared. Everyone stared at him blankly even after he left. 

Max, Ray, Kenny, Tala, and Hilary all found places and sat down.

“So… What happened?” Ray looked to Tyson who just kind of shrugged. The experienced happened too recently for him to be super open about it right that moment, so, of course, Voltaire told them the story.

It was an intense moment. But Ray and Max were good at keeping good times alive. They cheered up Tyson after a while. Voltaire offered help if anyone ever needed it, excused himself, and left. 

Kai was still gone. 

“Sorry guys I’m just going to go see where he went…” Tyson followed in his footsteps. He didn’t find Kai in the kitchen so he went out to the patio that encircled the Dojo. He slid open the rice paper door and found Kai sitting there.

There was an ashtray beside him with tons of cigarette butts. 

“You smoke?” Tyson asked while sitting down beside Kai cross legged. 

Kai brought up a cigarette from his hand and took a long drag.

“Only when I’m stressed. And I know where Tala keeps his stash so…” 

He rubbed the edge of the butt into the tray and breathed out a puff of smoke.

“I came out here I assumed you didn’t like smokers…”

“No, no. I don’t mind it. It’s not like you do it all the time or anything either… Today is obviously a special exception…” Tyson said awkwardly. 

They looked into the dark yard. There was no light except the stars in the sky. Tyson felt better since his friends helped him through it, but he didn’t know about Kai.

“How are you doing Kai?” 

Kai tilted his head. “Better now that the initial shock is over.” 

“That’s good.” 

Tyson looked back into the yard awkwardly. 

“Are you angry at me Tyson?” Kai asked while looking into his direction.

“No. I mean. I’m a little upset don’t get me wrong-”

“How come?” Kai cut him off abruptly. 

“I guess… Just that you can kiss other guys so easily. Especially someone like Frederick… But then when it comes to me…” 

Tyson trailed off. He was a little bit angry that he had to even see Kai kiss someone. Let alone the fact that it looked so easy.

Kai looked into the distance and laughed, “is that it then?” 

“What do you mean?” Tyson asked with attitude. 

“Tyson, that’s exactly it!” Kai flipped his body around so he was sitting in front of Tyson. “It’s because it’s so easy for those guys, it doesn’t mean anything. Kissing you would be something else… It’s a commitment, when I kiss you I want it to be good… I want it to mean something. I want it to scream ‘Tyson Granger I want to be with you’.” 

Tyson covered his mouth with his hands. “I- I get it now! Why it’s so hard! You’re afraid of commitment!” 

“I am NOT afraid of commitment.” Kai scoffed. 

“Yes you are!” Tyson grinned and placed his hands on Kai’s knees. 

“No! I’m not! I’m afraid of fucking up- I like you, I don’t want to throw it away because I’m fucked up…” 

Kai looked down. 

“Kai?” Tyson reached up with one hand and placed a finger under his chin, he slowly raised his head to look into Tyson’s eyes. 

“You are not fucked up.”

Kai smiled. As if he felt that it was real. He meant it, and it was real, it was all real. 

“Kai. You said you loved me to Frederick. Did you mean it?” 

“What? I said that?” 

“Yeah! You said you only loved one person in the world, and that was me.” 

“Oh, you caught that?” 

“Of course I did!” 

Kai laughed uncomfortably. 

“Well…” Kai started. “You are the most important person to me…” 

In that moment Tyson was the happiest he had been in ages. He leaned forward, Kai leaned forward, and the door slid open.

“Who wants more shots! I brought alcohol! Oh shit, am I interrupting something?” Ray said while slowly opening the door further.

“Yes! Yes you are! Get! The! Fuck! Out!” Tyson crawled towards the door and tried to shut it close, and finally managed to do it. Tyson turned back to Kai. He waved the hair out of his face and leaned closer to Kai. “Where were we?” 

Kai put his hand in between them. “Second thought this isn’t-”

“God damn it!” Tyson threw his hands in the air exasperated.

“I’m sorry! It’s just I haven’t even showered or anything from kissing him, and I just smoked a whole packet of cigarettes… Like this is going to be nasty, maybe another day?” 

“Kai! It’s okay!” Tyson pleaded. “How do you have so much patience?!” 

“I don’t! I just am holding back because I want it to be perfect…” 

“It doesn’t have to be! I just want to kiss you and love you…” Tyson looked down to his hands on the floor. “I’m not as patient as you are.” Tyson looked back up to him. 

“And, you know what happens if we kiss right now, Tyson?” Kai said while standing up on to his feet.

“What?”

Kai walked over to the door and slid it open fast and dramatically to reveal everyone hiding behind it listening.

Tyson broke out in laughter, everyone joined in, and things were good.


	28. Chapter 28: Vacation

They all moved to the living room and sat around having good times and lightly drinking. The topic of their relationship came up, again. 

“I think you guys just need a bunch of time alone. To get to know each other a bit more and be more intimate with each other.” Max stated his opinion bluntly. 

“Yeah! You guys should do a vacation or something!” Hilary agreed. 

“Whaaaat? Where would we go?” Kai asked. 

“Well is there anywhere you guys have always wanted to go?” Ray suggested.

“Not for me. I like Japan.” Kai admitted shrugging his shoulders.

“You know it’s weird though. Because I’ve lived in Japan all my life but I’ve barely seen any of it. I Love Japan but-” Tyson got cut off.

“Oh you guys should go for a romantic road trip!” Even Kenny was getting excited about their vacation. 

“Oh that would be so great! You guys can both drive right?” Tala asked. 

“Yeah I can drive…” Tyson trailed off, he realized he didn’t know if Kai could drive or not. 

“I can drive… In a few countries legally.” 

“Can you drive in Japan legally?” Tyson asked. 

“I think so? At least I’m certain I got my license here…” 

“Maybe that’s something you should check before we go on our road trip.” Tyson grinned.

“Wait, are we actually going?!”

“Well honestly if you like the idea of it we totally could. They have been begging me to take my vacation days at my jobs sooo…” 

“Do it!” Ray urged them on. 

“We will think about it!” Kai looked at Tyson mentally projecting to him that they would talk about it later. 

“Well… I need someone to watch the Dojo actually… 24/7 preferably.” Tyson pointed out glumly. 

“Well, I am here?” Tala put his hands in front of him dramatically as if to say ‘don’t forget about me!’, “But I’m not here all the time.” 

“Well I actually do plan to stay here for a few months.” Max admitted, “I need to hang out with my father for a while…” 

“Yeah! And I’m here too, so if Tala, Max and I take turns we can all watch the Dojo for you Tyson!” Hilary sounded excited. 

“Okay! We will think about it!” Tyson copied Kai’s words exactly while smiling. 

It was good to be around friends to encourage you to do things you need to do.

And so the day came that they were getting ready to leave for their road trip with their rental car. 

It had all just happened so fast. A week later everyone had left and went home, Max stayed, Kenny went back to the lab, Ray went back to China, Tala and Hilary stayed to look after the Dojo while Kai and Tyson were gone. 

Everyone had agreed that Tyson and Kai getting away and making new experiences with each other was a great idea. Tyson’s bosses basically begged him to go on the vacation he deserved, and Kai’s Grandfather was surprisingly all for it; he had even paid for their rental car. 

“Did we pack everything? We didn’t forget anything, right?” Tyson asked Kai nervously while crossing his arms looking into the car scanning the contents for anything they might have missed.

“You wrote a list, and we already double checked. I’ve already told you we have all the important things, if we need anything else we can buy it on the way too.” Kai walked by Tyson while grasping his chin playfully trying to shake out his paranoia. 

“So now the only question is: Who’s driving?” Tala asked as he appeared through the gate of the Dojo on to the road with them beside the car. 

“I think we decided we would take turns, depending on who wants to or who is tired.” Kai answered. 

“Are you and Hilary going to be okay on your own? Watching the dojo I mean…” Tyson asked while nibbling his nail clearly nervous out of his mind. 

“Oh my god, Tyson! we will be fine! We will watch the Dojo for you, nothing will happen! Plus Max is in town too, you know. Together it will be fine. You guys will only be gone for a few weeks max. Don’t be too worried.” Tala tried to reassure him and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“Don’t say nothing will happen, you will jinx it!” Tyson said angrily.

“Are you guys ready to go? You’re wasting daylight!” Tala joked. 

“It’s way too early in the morning for this Tala.” Kai said while rubbing his eye. Kai turned to Tyson, “So are we ready to go?” 

“I’m ready if you’re ready… I guess…” 

“Come on Tyson it’ll be fine.” Kai tried to reassure him. “Here I’ll drive out of town. We have the GPS in there so I can find my way.” 

“You guys are going to head to a hot spring right?” Tala joked while insinuating something different. 

“Well we will probably drive towards a lot of them and pick out which one is best and see if there's a vacancy.” Tyson shrugged his shoulders still on edge. 

“We will be fine Tyson! Here let's get going.” Kai grabbed his hand and led him toward the car. 

Tyson opened the passenger seat while Kai opened the driver’s door. They waved bye to Tala and he wished them a good time.

Tyson and Kai both crawled in and closed the doors. Kai placed both hands on the wheel. 

“Oh shit.” 

“Kai, what is it? Did you forget something?!” 

“No, just the last time I drove it was a uh foreign car, in England, so it's-uh... Backwards.” 

Tyson laughed, “Um, that was a long time ago?” Tyson said concerned, “are you sure you want to drive out of town? We can wait till the countryside for you to drive?” 

Kai had agreed that it would be a good plan to let Tyson drive them out of town. It was good because it gave Tyson something to focus on and forget his nerves for a moment. They were silent until a few blocks in. 

“Soooo are you excited?” Tyson said while looking at the road. 

“I’m pretty excited to spend time with you without anyone else interrupting. That should be fun.” 

Tyson glanced to the side and could swear he saw a smile creep up on Kai’s face. 

“You’re adorable.” 

“What? No I’m not. How? It’s impossible.” Kai tried to defend his honour. 

“You’re just cute that’s all.” 

Tyson grinned while they started to drive out of town. The cityscape turned into a rural forest. There wasn’t many cars on the road this morning. The early morning sun made shimmering rays fall through the leaves shadows onto the road. 

“I’m not cute. I’m very tough and intimidating…” Kai pouted. 

“You can keep thinking that.” Tyson joked. “So we’re heading toward an onsen right? Like a hot spring resort? Are you going to bath in the hot springs?” 

Kai hesitated for a second. 

“Well… I never actually thought about it. I mean I want to but… Privately…” 

“Well how come?” 

Tyson asked the question even though Kai knew he knew the answer. He just wanted to hear it from Kai. Kai frowned, clearly displeased. 

“You know why…” 

“Is it your back?” Tyson asked while scanning the country back road. 

“It’s mostly my whole body…” 

“But you used to be so comfortable with your body!” Tyson sounded sad at Kai’s lost confidence. 

Kai shrugged and leaned on his hand propped up by his elbow against the edge of the window. “Not anymore.” 

“Why is that?” 

“I- I don’t know.” Kai answered honestly. He looked out the window. 

“Kai you’re going to hate me for asking this question but… Were you still comfortable with your body before Frederick?” Tyson turned his head to the side to look at Kai, then quickly looked back to the road when Kai looked at his direction. 

“You’re right- I was more comfortable with myself before him…” 

“So he destroyed your body and your confidence…” Tyson scowled looking furious.. 

“It’s okay Tyson… I’m getting it back slowly as all my scars heal, and you… You help too.” 

Tyson’s face melted from anger to a kind of passion.

“What do you mean? How do I help?” 

“I don’t know. Just by being there I guess?” Kai admitted. 

“Awwwwww.” Tyson reached over and pinched Kai’s cheek. “I’ll always be here.”


	29. Chapter 29: Opening Up

They drove for hours. They had next to no idea where they were. They climbed a mountain in the car and stopped at a lookout point. It overlooked a forest that spanned for ages. The afternoon sun warmed up their bodies and covered everything in a comforting light. Kai stood beside Tyson looking at the view in silence. He took a deep breath in and let it out.

“Ha, what was that Kai?” Tyson giggled. 

“The air here is just really clean… I guess…” Kai said awkwardly. 

“See! You’re adorable.” 

“I’m not cute!” 

“I didn’t say cute. I said adorable.” 

“No, Tyson, We all know it goes like this: You’re the cute one, and I’m the defensive strong type.” 

“Hey!” Tyson yelled at him and grabbed for his shirt playfully. “I’m not that cute! But if you’re trying to say I’m the cute bottom… Then I would have to agree.” Tyson winked jokingly. 

Kai blushed from the sudden flirtation out of nowhere.

“Aww, are you blushing!?” Tyson made fun of his cute side again. 

“No! I’m just… Suddenly turned on…” 

“Bullshit you’re cute and you think I’m cute.” 

“Woah pretty aggressive for a bottom…” Kai laughed. 

“Hey, I’m not just a bottom I’m a great power bottom.” Tyson poked Kai’s chest starting their little game. “So are you driving now? I don’t think we will make it to the onsen tonight, we can stay in the car tonight and make it there tomorrow afternoon?” 

“Oh um sure.” Kai and Tyson started to walk towards the car. Kai got into the driver's seat. “Okay this will be great practice starting on the backroads, going downhill on a mountain. Thanks Tyson.” He said sarcastically.

“No problem, don’t forget your seatbelt.” Tyson pointed out.

Tyson carefully watched Kai's driving for a little while. At first he seemed nervous. But over time he got more comfortable. 

The setting sun flickered through the car as it shone through the trees. It was beautiful. 

“So what did you mean… When you said you were a good power bottom?” Kai started the conversation acting like he was super curious. 

“Well… Exactly what I said, a great power bottom.” Tyson repeated himself. 

“But like… What does that mean?” Kai asked awkwardly. 

“You don’t know what that means!?” Tyson laughed really hard holding his sides, “You’ve never had a guy power bottom you?” 

“Well I think there's a different word for it in English and Russian. What does it mean?” 

“It means like…” Tyson started but couldn’t really put it into words. “Like when the bottom tops you, so let's say you were to put it in me, and I was sitting on top of you. Like cowgirl position but for guys, it’s basically when the bottom is in control of the situation, hence the term 'power bottom'.” 

“Oh! I mean I know about that. Can’t say I’ve ever had anyone do it to me… Well maybe once or twice, but I’ve never done it…” Kai’s hands were a little sweaty on the steering wheel. It was odd because he was usually always calm and collected in any kind of sexual situation. “What do you mean me… Uh put it in you? You want to power bottom me?” 

“So upfront Kai, I love it. Maybe one day. We haven’t even kissed yet remember!” 

Kai nodded, then opened his mouth, then closed it. 

“What is it Kai?” 

“Oh… Nothing…”

“You were going to say something. What was it?” 

“Well I was just going to say that it is odd… I feel like we are so close but… It’s weird that we haven’t kissed or been physical… I feel like we have in a way… Or we should have by now.” 

“You really think that!?” Tyson said surprised. 

“I guess…” 

“I think that too!” Tyson’s eyes were wide. He was so happy Kai felt the same way. 

“Although I thought it might be because… Our relationship is more on the romantic level than physical…” Kai pointed out, he awkwardly peeled away his emotions. 

“That is true. And I oddly like it, although I’ve never been like that with anyone before…” Tyson admitted. 

“Not even with that guy?” Kai said in a tone that was slightly aggressive, it shocked Tyson. 

“W-what guy?”

“That guy who you were dating. He posted something on-” 

“Oh! Shit yeah that guy… He was a dick. I talked to your Grandfather about him actually because he asked me after you had talked about it.” 

“You talked to my Grandfather before me…” Kai looked offended. 

“Don’t be too worried Kai, this was in Russia.” Tyson reached for Kai’s shoulder and lightly placed his hand there for a few moments to comfort him. 

“Alright. But you never liked him? Not even a little bit? I mean he wasn’t a fling. You were in a relationship with him.” 

“Yeeaah…” Tyson sighed. “But we never got along, and it was mostly just sex anyways. We didn’t have any common interests. Hell our personalities didn’t even match up.” 

“We don’t have common interests… And we don’t have similar personalities…” Kai pointed out cautiously. 

“Kai stop dissecting our relationship! You see, at least you are interested in my interests, right? You watched half a season of ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ with me.”

“Yeah and it was awesome. But seriously, what is up with bride’s moms? Why can't a mother and daughter ever like the same fucking style?” 

“Yeah I know right! And as for our personalities Kai… We don’t have similar personalities… But I find we compliment each other.” 

“Even though we were rivals? Don’t you think that was a sign that we wouldn’t get along?” 

“Do we not get along?” 

“No we get along just fine… Now.” 

Tyson laughed. “You are right Kai!” 

Slowly the sun set. They talked and talked for ages. Mostly about old times, how much they used to hate each other, why, and how stupid they used to be, they laughed and opened up, and before they knew it they were driving in the dark of the road. 

“Kai we should find somewhere to stay. We can sleep in the car…” 

“Are we near any towns? My Grandfather did say we could use his money… And he preferred we did that and stayed at a hotel instead of staying in the middle of nowhere…” 

Tyson nodded. “You are right…” He pulled the GPS off the center on the car. It was above the radio and all of their empty cups they had already collected in the first hours of travelling. “There is a small town ahead of us… About 15 minutes in… But there is a bigger town half an hour to 45 minutes further… What do you think?” 

Kai thought for a moment while keeping his eyes on the road. “Well… We can drive through this town… If it seems super sketchy we will skip it. It might be worth it in the long run right?” 

Tyson nodded. “Do you want me to take the wheel? You look tired.”

“It’s not bad.” Kai said trying to tough through it. 

“You have bags under your eyes! Pull over I’ll take over!” 

Kai did as he was told and Tyson climbed overtop of him and Kai had to crawl underneath him to get to the passenger seat. 

“Tyson! We could have just opened the doors and walked around you know?”

“Are you kidding me have you ever been told a horror story before? These are the kinds of roads with werewolves on them!” 

“Fuck you don’t say shit like that!” 

“Oh my god you actually sound scared.” Tyson teased.

“Tyson just drive!” 

“Aww you're actually scared!” 

“Shut up!” 

Tyson started driving and could see Kai loose the tension in his shoulders. 

“You know Kai for someone who is so strong you’re surprisingly soft-”

“Am not!” 

“You are too!” 

There was a sign that said they were entering a town. They already knew it was small, but not this small. They passed a run down gas station. Then an old grocery store, a sex shop, and finally a shit-kicked inn. There was no one in sight, and no lights on in any houses.

“Yeah so we’re going to keep going.” Tyson said while speeding up ever so slightly. 

Halfway to the next town Kai cleared his throat and spoke up.

“I think you’re right Tyson.”

“Huh?”

“I’m secretly kind of soft.”

“And emotional.” Tyson nodded adding to it.

“Am I?” Kai asked completely serious. When Tyson looked at him he had a pained expression. 

“That's not a bad thing Kai. It’s good to be able to feel a lot of things, all you have to do is learn to show it more- I think. 

“Why? Isn’t it a sign of weakness?”

“No? It’s also a sign of strength. If we had never felt the way we did about each other you never would have left Russia, if you couldn’t express emotions you wouldn’t have been able to play Frederick the way you did. Emotions are important Kai, and I love when you wear them.”

Kai looked out the window, he couldn’t stop grinning. 

“You drive me crazy you know that right Tyson?” 

“A good crazy? Or bad crazy?” 

“Definitely good crazy.” 

“Well please go into detail.” Tyson looked towards Kai and looked back to the road reading another sign that welcomed them to a bigger, newer town. 

They ended up finding a cheap hotel. Kai went into the office and bought the room while Tyson pulled out their overnight bags from the car. Kai came out with the key to their room. They locked up the car and walked into the room. They didn’t even talk as they crawled into the single bed in silence and curled up beside each other, falling into an instant, deep sleep.


	30. Chapter 30: The Shrine

The next day started off sunny, and kind of windy. They woke up late, packed up their things, and got back in the car. They stopped for lunch at a local dinner. It was busy, but not too busy. It felt like a family diner, laid back, but not trashy. 

They were seated by a middle aged waitress who was very kind, she asked them what kind of drinks they wanted and they both got water. She gave them menus and politely gave them time to think it over and walked away. 

“What do you want Kai?” Tyson scanned the menu. 

“This diner is really Western… I wonder if the food is good. I kind of want to get something simple. It feels a bit late for breakfast food… What about you?” Kai looked up and tilted his head. 

“I think I’ll get the special…” Tyson pointed to an area of the menu.

Kai’s eyes grew wide, “Holy shit, that's a lot of food”

“I could eat it.” 

“You used to have a huge appetite Tyson but not anymore don’t overestimate yourself…” 

Tyson glared at him. 

And just to spite Kai he ordered the special, while Kai ordered a sandwich.

And he ate it all. 

When they got out of the restaurant Tyson complained about his stomach.

“I told you you couldn’t handle it all! You aren’t fifteen anymore!” 

“Oh I am very aware. I’ve done a lot of things fifteen year old me would never dream of. But maybe I just wanted to see if I had the same stamina!” Tyson yelled jokingly while holding his stomach.

Kai shook his head and grinned. “So I’m driving then?” 

“Yes, please…” Tyson begged. 

Another day of travelling. 

It was easy to glide down the roads without a worry. There was barely a car on the road, and it was easy for Kai to drive along. They were making it down a mountain. The road seemed to cling desperately to a cliff, and they travelled along it, trusting that the road would take them to where they wanted to go. 

“So you said you did a lot of things that your fifteen year old self would never dream of. huh?” Kai laughed while bringing up the topic. 

Tyson scoffed, “Yeah, of course.” 

“Like?...” Kai pushed the subject. 

“Well maybe sleeping with dudes. I don’t know?” Tyson shrugged his shoulders as if it was obvious. 

Kai got a sour look on his face. 

“Kai?”

“I was just wondering…” Kai started uneasily. “I actually have no idea when you decided you liked guys? I know that one day you just knew you were gay, and I know it took a lot of experimenting… But how did you figure it out?” 

“Um…” Tyson was caught off guard by the sudden topic, and he knew it would be awkward since it involved Kai himself.

Kai looked to his side to look at Tyson’s expression before looking back to the road. He seemed uncomfortable with the topic, which was odd for him. 

“Sorry… Is it that personal?” Kai was slightly confused, he didn't think it was that tough of a subject since Tyson was so open about himself. 

“Do you really wanna know how I figured it out?” Tyson titled his head towards Kai and smiled. 

“Only if you want to tell me…” 

“Well…” Tyson started and sighed. “I had a bit of trouble in high school. I never felt anything for anyone, and I never understood it, I assumed I had always been focused on my goal in our tournaments and stuff… That I just never had time to develop simple crushes. But do you remember that girl?” 

Kai knew exactly which girl he was talking about. “Oh, you mean the one you went to the amusement park with?!” 

“Um… Yeah her, you sure remember that…” 

“Well I think I was a little jealous…” Kai admitted. 

Tyson jumped in his seat, “I knew it!” 

“Okay okay you were right! So go on.” Kai waved his hand at Tyson and put it back on the steering wheel. 

“Well… I did tell you guys about this in highschool… But we kissed and nothing clicked… In fact it was the opposite of click, it was like- awful. I didn’t like kissing her, and I had no romantic feelings for her, but I liked her as a person? And it took me a while to realise I just didn’t like her because she was a girl.” 

“Makes sense… Since you are the gayest guy I know.” 

“It is true. But… It really clicked when…” Tyson trailed off and looked out the window.

“Wheeeen?...” Kai mimicked him. 

“When I found out I liked you. I had- I had a sex dream about you.” 

“In high school!?” Kai shouted in excitement. 

Tyson nodded. 

“Well what happened in it?” Kai asked, surprising Tyson with his eagerness.

“You really want to know?” 

“Yes!” 

“Well… It was confusing because I was so confused and I… I was falling asleep listening to music and it was a really out of body experience and I could feel everything… You were on top of me but I didn’t know it was you… I asked who it was and I made noises I didn’t understand and you jerked me off and I only realised it was you when you asked me how it was at the end and kissed me… And I really really liked it. You woke me up the next morning and I was scared.” 

“You were scared?” Kai sounded concerned. 

“Yeah! Because I knew our relationship would change after that! I realised I liked you… But I didn’t want to lose you as a friend. You were so important to me… You are! And I- I took a walk in the summer. I went downtown I went everywhere just looking. I decided I liked men that day. But I mostly liked you.” 

Kai’s face went red as he began to blush.

“I talked to my Grandpa about it. I was so confused… I didn’t want to lose you, but I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to have you… And then it was graduation and I didn’t- I didn’t-” 

Tyson covered his face as Kai pulled over on to the side of the road. He turned off the car and pulled the keys out of the ignition.

“Tyson look at that.” 

“At what?” Tyson looked out of Kai’s driver side window while pulling his hands away from his face.

There were wooden stairs leading up the mountain on a path. Kai opened the door.

“Kai! What are you-” 

Kai had shut the door and started walking up the path. 

“Kai!” Tyson shouted after him and he quickly opened the doors and locked them. 

Kai walked up the path with ease at a fast pace. 

“Kai where are you going? What are you doing-” Tyson tried to run after him up the path. 

It was way past midday now, and almost sunset. 

“I was talking to you about stuff! You can’t just leave!” 

“Tyson.” 

Kai’s voice rang in Tyson’s ears at the sound of his name. 

“Remember in highschool… Or no… Remember in Mr. Dickenson’s office.”

“Yes!” Tyson called after him out of breath as they continuously climbed the stairs. 

“I had good grades. I had no reason to go to that school.”

“But… You did! You could have gone to a more prestigious one if you wanted to, right? But you chose to stay with your friends? Right?” Tyson breathed heavily. 

“Well… I did stay for them. But I realised through highschool that… If you weren’t there, I wouldn’t have stayed. Look the top!” 

Kai then started to run at full speed to the top of the path. Tyson lost sight of him. He called after him out of breath, and finally climbed the last few steps to the top.

Kai was standing against the sunset. There was a small shrine up here with no one around. 

“I began to wonder… Why wouldn’t I have stayed? Why do I like this kid so much? We are natural rivals… If anything I should hate him.” 

Tyson stopped in his tracks. His lungs heaved trying to get his breath back. 

“I never thought about my sexuality… Or who I liked- It was never a factor, because I knew I liked you.” 

Kai held out his hand towards Tyson. Tyson could hardly see through the bright sun, but he reached out and grabbed it anyways. 

“You liked me too?” Tyson stuttered, trying to regain his composure. 

“Yeah. I did. It was hard though. Because I liked you so much… And I still do. I never wanted to hurt you. And I still hated myself so much, I knew I wasn’t enough for you, I knew that if I stayed I would only hurt you because of how much I couldn’t handle anything. So I left.” 

There was a silence. Tyson could hear Kai swallow a lump in his throat. 

“And I’m sorry. I never should have done that. But I can’t begin to explain… I can’t even measure… How happy I am now, that I’m with you, here, today, right now.” 

Kai slowly pulled Tyson closer to him by his hand and then they were standing face to face. Kai grabbed his other hand and held both in front of him. 

“I’m glad you kissed me that day before I left. I never stopped thinking about you. You were always on my mind. I wanted to get that feeling back again. But no matter how many people I kissed… It wasn’t the same. I could never recreate that moment, because it had to be with you. And it took me a long long time to realise that.”

Kai looked up to the sky and then towards the sun, Tyson could see him blink a few times. 

“Tyson! You are…” Kai turned back to him, the way Kai’s voice sounded was a kind of happiness Tyson had never heard from him before. 

“Tyson you are the most important… Person to me. And I will never stop wanting you- No matter how far away I go- Whatever happens, or whoever gets in our way, I will take them down, just to be by your side…” 

“Kai…” Tyson’s mind whirled and he couldn’t think straight.

“Kai I love you too!” Tyson bellowed out with an expression of pure happiness. 

“You always say that! How am I supposed to say anything like that if you’re always saying it first!” Kai teased. 

Tyson’s voice grew softer. “Only say it when you mean it.” 

“I-” Kai’s voice cracked. 

Kai suddenly reached up with both hands cupping Tyson’s face. His hands felt kind of sweaty. 

“Tyson, I think I do Lo…” Kai’s voice trailed off and he looked down to the ground.

“Sound it out…” Tyson whispered towards him while grabbing his waist with both hands.

“Love you… I think I love you….” 

Kai looked back up to Tyson, his eyes flickered side to side awkwardly as he studied every slight movement of Tyson’s body.

Kai moved his body forward slowly. He gently moved his way in and his lips met Tyson’s. It took a second for both of them to realize what was happening and then they kissed. 

It was a massive release. They felt everything at once, the love, the pent up frustration, the anticipation, and the waiting… It all went away, and came back, and went away. 

Tyson had embraced Kai with both his arms and moved his fingers through his hair. Kai had one hand on Tyson’s cheek and the other on the back of his neck.

They pulled away slowly, but their hands still stayed in the same places. 

Kai still had his eyes closed and he rested his forehead on Tyson’s. 

They felt at peace just being beside each other. In that moment everything synced; their breaths, right down to their heartbeats. 

Kai closed his eyes tight and grasped the back of Tyson’ hair. “Fuck… I love you so much. And that’s something my fifteen year old self never would have guessed.” He said while opening his eyes and grinning. 

Tyson laughed and gently loosened his grip on Kai’s hips. 

Kai let his hands fall away from Tyson. Then Tyson pulled away from Kai, but they still stood close to each other. 

“That was… Wow. I think… Did we recreate the moment?” Tyson looked to Kai.

“I think we did.” Kai nodded. 

Tyson inched closer to him again.

“Again?” Kai looked surprised but couldn’t help smiling. 

Tyson grabbed Kai’s face and pulled him closer, more smooching him than kissing him. Then he pulled away and grabbed Kai’s hand. 

“Come on! We have to get to a good onsen before it gets too dark!"

“That hill reminded me of the one from high school. Do you remember?” 

Kai started up conversation again as he drove down the road. He agreed to drive them to the onsen since it wasn’t that far from there. 

“I do remember. The shrine right? We went there in the dark…” 

“That was beautiful.”

“It was. And it was the first night you really opened up to me.” Tyson looked to Kai. 

“Did I?!” 

“Yeah we talked about parents and growing up a little bit, you don’t remember that?” 

Kai seemed to think for a second. “Oh yeah! I do! I almost got too emotional…” 

“You could never get too emotional Kai… Hey we’re entering the city. I’ve never been here, but there’s tons of inns and hot springs.” 

“We know which one we have in mind though right?” Kai asked uneasily. 

“Are you not okay driving in the city? I can take the wheel since it's an unfamiliar place…” Tyson offered but Kai shook his head.

“No, don’t worry about it, Tyson. I can drive us there. Let's just hope there's vacancy…”

“Crossing my fingers!” Tyson chimed in while holding up his crossed fingers


	31. Chapter 31: No Vacancy

There wasn’t any vacancy. They had been booked for a few days. 

They drove to the next nearest inn, no vacancy, the next one, no vacancy. 

They drove to over ten. Tyson hoped in the front seat and they started driving on a road. They weren’t in a hurry, but it was dark and they wanted somewhere to stay; so naturally they felt irritable.

They drove and drove in a straight line. Kai finally decided to vocalize his concerns. 

“Um Tyson… Where are we going?” 

“I thought you knew where we were going!” 

“I literally have no idea where we are right now!”

“Neither do I!- Wait-”

Tyson looked towards the GPS. “Kai what does that say?”

“There's a dot hang on…” Kai picked up the GPS off its docking station and investigated. “Oh! It says there's an Onsen on top of that hill. Four out of five stars, no pictures. It’s worth a try?” 

“A little sketchy don’t you think?” Tyson pointed out uneasily. 

Kai shrugged his shoulders. “It’s getting late…” 

“Alright, alright. We will go check it out. I’m super hungry anyways.” 

“I know you always get extra grouchy when you’re hungry.” Kai grinned, but Tyson didn’t seem to think it was as funny. 

They climbed up the hill and found a road that branched off the main road. There was an older sign that directed them to the inn. There were no lights now, and it was dark enough that they had to turn on their headlights. They were in the middle of the forest and far away from the main city and any popular onsens. 

The road extended for ages, and twisted back and forth. Although the pavement seemed new, and the car glided across with no problems, they still felt like they were in the middle of nowhere. 

They were both doubtful until they turned a corner revealing the front of a large warmly lit wooden building. There was parking in front of it. 

They parked and got out in silence. Walking towards the doors they noticed that this place was ridiculously nice. The front doors were a thick pane of glass, and the handles were steel. Kai opened the door for Tyson as he walked in. Inside it was humid and smelled of eucalyptus. 

There was a woman sitting at a desk in front. There were plants, mostly ferns, all over the room. The walls and floor were covered in fancy stained wood. She greeted them kindly. 

“Hello! Welcome! What can I do for you guys?” 

“Um…” Tyson stepped forward towards the desk and leaned his elbows on it. “Do you have any vacancies?” 

“I’ll have to check what rooms we have open… But I know we have a few.” She turned to a newer computer and started typing something. 

“Yes!” Tyson said under his breath while pumping his fist in victory. 

“So you guys have been looking for hotels with vacancy for a while tonight?” She asked kindly. 

“Yes. We have had no luck up till now.” Kai sighed. 

“Well, yes! We do have a few vacancies. Almost one in every different type of room we offer… Oh! Even the honeymoon suite is open! But I’m assuming you boys will want a two bed suite?” 

“Ummm… We could do one with one bed…” Tyson said while turning to Kai, “I mean… It’s cheaper right? And the beds are big.” 

She nodded and went back to her computer. “Well we have a few options then: a basic suite, not much there but a bed, the only ones left are small, and the honeymoon suite, which has its own bath in it, it's a bit more expensive but if you guys were interested I can make you a deal.”

“Kai, it has its own bath! Like you wanted! What kind of deal can you give us?” Tyson asked slyly. 

She typed for a little while while working out the numbers. Tyson looked to Kai. 

“Kai this way you wouldn’t have to bath in the public bath, we will have our own private one!” 

“It’s really nice too.” The lady butted in, “It’s a little private hot spring in your room. Absolutely adorable. Only one bed though, but I can arrange to have a cot arrive if you were worried-”

“No that’s fine but thank you.” Kai answered. “Are we getting it Tyson?” 

“If you want too!” Tyson chirped. “But we have to get food first.” 

“You can get the restaurant here to deliver food right to your room!” The lady said enthusiastically. “This is as low as I can get it for you two.” She slid a piece of paper across the desk. 

Kai reviewed the paper and pulled out a card. 

She set up a machine and laid it in front of them. She passed Tyson the key to a room as Kai paid. She seemed to inspect Kai’s card, her eyebrow raised when she realized it was golden. 

“Ah, so you two obviously have no problem with money…” She said under her breath. 

“What?” Kai asked while taking the card out of the machine. 

She leaned over the counter a bit. “It’s okay we get a lot of guys like you two here. Don’t worry too much.” 

Kai blushed and backed away. “It is the room on the right down the hallway on the second floor right?” He swallowed awkwardly. 

“Yes!” She shouted after them as they left the room and headed towards the second floor.


	32. Chapter 32: A Night to Remember (Mostly Sex)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the title says, mostly s3x :^) you're welcome.

They had gathered their overnight bags and brought them into the room. They ordered a ton of food that had been delivered to them. They were sitting on the bed eating. 

Now that Tyson had a full stomach he could process things better. He looked at Kai who was eating so perfectly. He always had. Tyson always thought he did everything with such grace, he never thought that it was because he analyzed his every move and loved everything he did. He cleared his throat, he kept looking at Kai. The day seemed to play over and over again through his mind; it felt like a dream the more he thought about it. It was so perfect, it didn’t seem real.

“Tyson? Are you okay? You keep looking at me.” Kai made a confused face. 

“Oh um… Yes I’m fine! I was just looking at the room it is very nice isn’t it…” 

Tyson’s eyes darted around the room. It was large and elaborate. They had a large room with a king sized bed and two separate rooms; one was the bathroom, while the other was the bath. They had closed the blinds and curtains, but if they were open they would be able to look out a large window over the hill and into the valley. 

“Well that would make sense… But you were looking at me.” Kai stared deep into Tyson’s eyes trying to dig the truth out. 

“Yeah I was looking at you… Sometimes you just look… really… nice.” Tyson sighed and put his plate down on the cart that came with the food. “Hey Kai! Do you want to go into the bath?” 

“Heck yeah.” Kai grinned and placed his empty plate on top of Tysons. 

They jumped off the bed and started walking towards the separate room with the bath in it. They ended up accidentally colliding into each other. 

“Hey what are you doing trying to touch me?” Tyson joked and pushed Kai to the side with his arm. 

“Get out of here.” Kai pushed him gently back. 

They opened the door and squeezed through, laughing as they both tried to get in at the same time. 

The room was marvelous. There was a large window overlooking the city, it was fogged up. The hot spring looked like it had been converted with an old bath, and old looking stones were set around it to set the mood. New water trickled in through a bamboo pipe. Tyson looked excited and started to take off his clothes immediately. 

He stepped over into the bath with one foot and sat down slowly. 

“Kai, you’re not getting in?” Tyson asked making a forced disappointed expression.

“Umm… Yeah.” Kai crossed his arms and looked to the side.

“Are we going to go through this again?” Tyson sounded exasperated. 

Kai reached down to the tips of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head. 

“My back does look better though.” Kai nodded his head as he started to undo his pants but stopped. “Are you going to watch me all day?” 

Tyson leaned on to the edge of the bath. “Hey, free strip show from the hottest guy in the world. I can’t miss the opportunity.” He grinned.

“I’m not the hottest guy in the world trust me.” Kai shook his head. 

“I think you are.” 

Kai stopped everything he was doing and looked at Tyson. The comment sounded like something he would say but his expression showed he was completely serious. It made Kai’s heart skip a beat, and then pump faster, he started to smile. 

It’s nice to know someone thinks I'm the hottest thing ever…

And with the boost of confidence Kai dropped his pants. He turned around to grab a towel. 

“What?! You can’t take off your underwear in front of me?” Tyson said playfully. 

“I will this time!” 

“Kai, don’t tell me you’re self conscious about your-” 

“I’m not!” 

“Well what is it like?” 

“I have no idea how to answer that.” 

Kai wrapped the towel around him and was stepping into the bath. He turned around from Tyson and pulled off the towel throwing it on to the edge of the rocks. He sat down careful not to show his front to Tyson. 

“Well you have a nice ass so that’s something.” 

“Thank you.” Kai turned towards Tyson still sitting down. 

Kai tilted his head back. He was sitting in the corner of the tub. He put both arms along the edges and sighed. 

“Comfy?” Tyson asked.

“Yeah…” 

“You sound tired.” 

Kai heard gentle splashes and movements of water. He lifted up his head to see Tyson sitting right beside him. He jumped slightly but Tyson put his hand on the back of Kai’s head and slid his fingers through his hair. 

Kai let himself fall into Tyson’s trace again.

“Mmmmm…” Kai’s rough voice trailed off. 

“Feeling good?” Tyson asked while trailing his hand up and down through Kai’s hair. 

“Yeah…” Kai closed his eyes. 

Kai felt something wet touch his lips and he opened his eyes.

“Tyson, did you just kiss me?” 

“A little bit, yeah.” Tyson admitted.

Kai sat up straight.

“Do it again.” 

Tyson giggled and bit his lip. He moved closer in and kissed Kai, gently at first and then sloppy, then crazy. 

He grabbed the back of Kai’s hair, while Kai moved both his hands to Tyson’s neck and cheek holding them there. 

They made sloppy sounds and got closer to each other. They tried to breath and use tongue all at the same time. It was messy and filled with passion. 

Tyson moved his hips forward and found himself sitting on top of Kai. Kai reached down with one hand into the water and grabbed his thigh, pulling him closer. 

“Ah! Kai, you bit my tongue!” Tyson pulled away putting his hand to his mouth while he still held on to Kai’s shoulder for balance.

“Shit! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Kai sounded absolutely distraught. 

“No it’s okay don’t worry about it!” Tyson tried to calm him down. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to it was an accident…” Kai looked down into the water while trying to push Tyson off of him. 

“No, no!” Tyson exclaimed, scaring Kai.

“What is it?!” Kai stopped pushing Tyson away. 

“This isn't going to happen again okay?! Where you get scared and we stop! No, I want to go all the way.” 

Tyson pulled himself closer to Kai and arched his back seductively. 

Kai pushed Tyson off immediately. 

“Damn it…” Tyson whispered. 

Kai climbed out of the bath and gathered his clothes. Tyson did the same thing. 

“Kai I’m sorry did I-” 

“No it’s not your fault don’t worry!” Kai reached one hand forward while keeping a towel up on his waist with one hand. He placed his hand on Tyson’s cheek leaning forward and carefully kissing him before leaving the room to get changed. 

“Kai…” Tyson put on his clothes before following him out. 

Tyson found Kai sitting on the bed. He had put the cart the food had come on outside the room. 

“Kai, I have a question.” 

“Go ahead.” Kai nodded. 

“Well… I know it might be a bit soon but… Don’t you want to have sex with me?” 

“Of course! Why do you ask?” Kai frowned. 

“Well… Sometimes you walk out… Or you leave if anything's going to happen… Like just now in the bath- But that one time you were drunk… You wanted to have sex with me so bad, you literally begged me to let you suck my- but anyways… I was just wondering what’s holding you back, I mean you must want to do it.”

Kai tilted his head as if he was thinking. 

“Well… I guess… I do really want to have sex with you, I really do, but I’m just worried that… I guess that I might hurt you?” 

“You don’t have to be worried about that…” Tyson said while climbing on to the bed and sitting near Kai. 

“I never want to hurt you, and I would never forgive myself if I hurt you because I was being too rough…” 

“I like it rough…” 

“Really?” Kai asked sounded surprised.

“Yes! I do!” Tyson’s eyes lit up.

“Oh-” Kai sounded turned on. 

“I knew you wanted to do me! I mean we’ve been close before I just… Wanted to know- I mean you’ve heard me moan before, right?”

“Yeah, it was good-” Kai admitted before being cut off.

“So you want to make me moan again… and again… and again… Right Kai?” Tyson said while leaning in close to Kai and leaving his mouth slightly agape. 

“Mmmm- Yes…” Kai leaned in closer. 

Tyson placed his hand on Kai’s thigh and slid it upwards while crawling into Kai. Their lips locked together again and they started to kiss. Tyson knew Kai wouldn’t throw him down or be rough, so he had to initiate everything. Tyson grabbed Kai by the shoulders and pulled him down into him so that he was leaning over top of Tyson. Tyson moved his lips to Kai’s ear. 

“Please pound me…” 

“Ah…” Kai tried to pull away but Tyson reached up with both arms and held him there. 

“Please, Kai… I’ve been waiting for years… Just let me do something… Tonight- Anything, please?” 

“Fuck I can’t refuse you…” Kai kissed him this time. 

It felt glorious to Tyson. His pulse made it feel like his whole body was moving, he could feel it in his ears all the way down to his dick. The vibrations fled to every inch of his body. 

Tyson pulled away. “Kai, undress me please…” 

“Why do I have to do it?” Kai sat up and pulled off Tyson’s shirt which was already lazily put on after the bath, then he took off his sweatpants. 

“No underwear Tyson?” 

“Nope…” 

“Tyson you’re so turned on right now.” Kai pointed out. 

Tyson pulled himself up slightly and propped himself up with his elbows. Kai was looking at his hard dick intently, but not making any moves. 

“Yeah… I’m really turned on- cause- cause it’s you… Now you take off your clothes.” 

Kai awkwardly took off his shirt and his pants but kept his underwear on. He was acting like a schoolboy who had never done anything before. 

Tyson got up and crawled forward so he was overtop of Kai now. 

“You're not going to make any moves Kai? Do I have to play first?” 

Kai gently nodded his head. 

“Fine. I’ll give you one of the best blowjobs of your life, okay?” Tyson winked and dropped his body lower with his face on top of Kai’s boxers. He rubbed his palm up and down. 

“You’re really hard Kai…” 

Kai didn’t say anything. He was blushing and his heart rate had increased. 

Tyson put his mouth on Kai’s bulge while attempting to keep eye contact with him. 

“God you look so turned on Kai. I’m really hard just looking at you.”

Kai put the back of his wrist to his mouth to hide his expression, and cover his mouth.

“Kai, are you afraid you’re going to make too much noise? That’s cute- oh! You’re already precumming…” 

Tyson pulled down his boxers without a warning. 

“Tyson!” 

“Oh wow, Kai… Hang on let's take all of this off…” Tyson said while pulling off Kai’s boxers. “You’re completely naked, this is great…” 

Tyson grabbed with one hand and started to slowly jerk Kai off. 

“You’re really well hung Kai… I think I’ve only taken something like this once… Maybe twice.” 

Tyson kept going and Kai breathed harder while trying to cover his face with his forearm. 

“Come on Kai let me see your face… Still not talking? Let's see what kind of noises you can make.”

Tyson started to jerk him off harder.

“Tys-! Fuck-” 

Kai curled his body in and Tyson stopped immediately. 

“Huh… Tyson? What’s wrong? Keep going… Please…”

“Are you begging me?” Tyson grinned.

“Not begging… Just pleading. You’ll know when I’m begging trust me…” 

“Well you better get on your knees Kai… Here we go.” 

Suddenly Tyson’s whole mouth was on Kai’s dick. 

“A-Ah! Tyson-” Kai sat upright with his legs bent. He placed his hands on Tyson’s head grabbing his hair. It had been a long time since he felt anything like this, let alone this good. 

Tyson kept going. Up and down elegantly. Kai couldn’t stop panting, every time Tyson bobbed his head down he would exhale. 

“Tyson… You might want to m-Ah!- Move your head a bit… I’m going to-”

Tyson pulled his head away with a slight pop. “Cum?” He asked tilting his head and jerking him with his hand. 

“Y-Yeah.” Kai nodded his head. 

“Alright… Cum in my mouth?” Tyson said with no worries as he put his mouth back on it. 

“Tyson! What the-” 

Tyson just kept going ignoring Kai.

“Tyson! I’m going to- Fuck- Ah!” 

Tyson expertly moved as far down as possible while Kai shivered and held Tyson’s head limply with both hands. 

Tyson slowly pulled away and sat up. He looked at Kai and swallowed, hard. 

Kai was breathing heavily. 

“Tyson, did you just swallow-” 

“Yeah. It was good. Considering you don’t eat a lot of sweet things” 

“What is that supposed to mean?!” 

“It was sweet!” 

“That’s weird!” 

They sat there silently assessing the situation before bursting out in laughter. It was funny because it was with each other, and they felt good because they were with each other. Kai had never been more comfortable with himself, and Tyson had never felt more pleased to be with anyone. 

Kai pulled himself forward and kissed Tyson. He pulled away and looked him up and down.

“So now I need to do something to you.” Kai said it in a seductive voice, but he looked down awkwardly, as if he didn’t know where to start.

Tyson propped himself up on his knees so he was taller than Kai. He put his lips to Kai’s neck and kissed and nibbled it gently. 

“Haahaa…” Tyson laughed gently before biting the edge of Kai’s ear. 

Kai made a noise he wasn’t expecting. 

“You’re turned on again Kai? Well I guess you can start with something basic… Jerk me off?” 

“Haa… Okay…” Kai said while reaching down with one hand. 

Tyson parted his legs slightly while Kai started to go at it, first slow, then faster. 

Tyson buried himself into Kai's shoulder as his body tensed up from the immeasurable pleasure. 

“Ah! Kai!” 

Tyson’s back arched and he bent his neck back. Finally it was happening. 

“You’re feeling really good?” Kai asked in a whisper that turned Tyson on even more. 

“Yes!” Tyson bit his lip. “Kai… Haah! Fuck me!” 

Then Kai did something Tyson didn’t expect he leaned forward and closed his eyes. He opened his mouth and licked from the bottom of Tyson’s chest to the top grazing his nipple lightly. 

“Kai! What the fu- Ah!” Tyson felt a massive pulse through his body, forcing him to grab Kai in a hugging position and pulling his head into his chest. 

“Aaaah!” Tyson moaned out before Kai stopped, leaving them both panting. 

Tyson pulled away and sat down on the bed with a plop. He looked at Kai.

“Shit! I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make such a mess!” Tyson looked to Kai’s chest horrified. 

“You just came on my chest a little bit- okay maybe a lot- but it's okay. You sure did enjoy it.” 

Tyson laughed, Kai joined. They were having a good time.

Tyson crawled back towards Kai and grabbed his chin with one hand kissing him again, and again. 

Tyson slowly pulled away. 

“Tyson?” Kai asked confused, wanting more. 

“Kai you’re still hard…” 

“How odd…” Kai smiled. “Don’t worry about it.” He tried to kiss Tyson again but Tyson moved his hand in front of their faces before they connected. 

“Kai? I want to go… All the way with you.” 

Kai coughed slightly. 

“Tonight?! Today you mean? Now?” Kai’s eyes opened wide. 

Kai grabbed around Tyson’s waist and held him close, his actions didn’t sync with his words. 

“Do you want to, Kai? I’ll bottom of course.” 

“But I- I didn't bring anything?” 

“You didn’t, but I did. I’m always prepared.” Tyson winked jokingly. 

Tyson suddenly jumped off Kai grabbing his bag from below their bed. He pulled it up and placed it in front of them rummaging through it. He pulled out a stash of bottles and condoms. 

“Holy shit Tyson.” 

“I told you, I’m always prepared.” Tyson said again grinning while throwing the bag off the bed when it was unneeded. 

Kai started to pick up the bottles, some were half used, and some were full. He started to read the labels of different lubes, there was one he didn’t understand. 

“What is this?” Kai asked handing Tyson the small bottle.

Tyson laughed. “I bought this as a joke! I only used it once for myself. It’s weird, it’s oil that numbs you. Do you want to try it?” 

Kai gave him a concerned look. 

“It tastes good too! Very herbal.” 

“Where would you be putting it…” Kai asked uneasily. 

“Your mouth, here.” Tyson opened the bottle and dabbed a few drops on the tip of his finger. “Open up!” 

Kai hesitated but opened his mouth sticking his tongue out a little bit. 

Tyson lightly put his finger in Kai’s mouth, running the oil down his tongue.

“Kai you have to suck it off for this to work! But not down your throat.” 

Kai gave him a look that Tyson could read without problem, ‘what are you making me do!?’

Kai closed his eyes and closed his mouth over Tyson’s finger, he sucked on it as Tyson pulled it out. 

Kai looked to the ceiling and smacked his lips. “Nothing is happening Tyson.”

“Wait for it!” Tyson placed a hand on Kai’s thigh. 

“Oh wow.” Kai exclaimed as he felt the numbness in his mouth. It did taste herbal, clean, like a breeze after a rainstorm. He could only barely feel his tongue. His mouth was hung open and he was feeling around his mouth with his tongue and then his finger. “Tyson hwat twe fwuck?”

Tyson laughed and leaned closer. “Now we make out.” 

Kai looked excited to try it out and was the first to push himself forward, making out with Tyson. 

It felt really good. Tyson nibbled on his tongue and it shot minor electric shocks through Kai’s mouth and body. 

Kai pulled apart, his words still slightly slurred from the numbness, “Tyson how long does this last?” 

“Maybe ten minutes or so? Why?” 

“It’s not fair, I’m the only one losing it…” Kai looked to the side and grabbed one of the condoms, he tore open the package. 

“What are you planning to do there?” Tyson asked excitedly. 

“You’ll see.” Kai said simply as he wrapped it around a finger. 

“Ah, I get it. Yes please! Ah-”

Tyson was pulled into Kai as he ferociously made out with him. Tyson could feel the gentle feeling of Kai playing with his opening, then he went in. 

“Ah!” Tyson’s mouth broke away from Kai’s.

“You okay?” Kai asked surprisingly still keeping his posture. 

“Yeah! It just feels really unh… Good, I haven’t had any in a long time, ya know?” Tyson had one eye closed and was starting to breath heavier. 

“Okay, tell me if I need to go slower.” Kai said as he started to move around faster and then deeper. 

They weren't’ even making out anymore, they couldn't attach with Tyson’s mouth hanging open and continuous moans coming out of it. 

“Ah! Kai! Fu- ck- Wow- woah- woA- Ah!” 

Then Kai suddenly pulled his finger out, leaving Tyson panting and impatient. 

“Why did you stop?” Tyson demanded. 

“I think you’re ready…” Kai said while throwing out the one on his hand and grabbing a new condom package and opening it. 

“Yes! Please!” Tyson begged and fell on to his back. 

“This is how you want to do it?” Kai asked scanning Tyson’s position as he put it on. 

“Yes, with you kneeling overtop of me like this… I want to look at your face while you completely dominate me.” Tyson grinned. 

“Woah… Damn.” Kai said with wide eyes. He secretly loved this part of Tyson, and he wanted more than anything to take him and everything he could offer, but he also wanted to take it slow, to savor it. 

Kai inched closer and grabbed Tyson’s thighs and separated them. He pulled away with one hand and tried to angle himself so he could get into Tyson minimizing the pain as he entered. 

“Mmmm!!” Tyson bit his lip and Kai slowly inserted himself. 

Kai thrusted as gently as possible, very slowly. He got a bit more in.

“Aaah! Ah… Stop hang on.” Tyson’s whole face was red and he placed a hand on Kai’s stomach. Kai stopped right away. 

Kai was about to pull out before Tyson stopped him.

“No, don't pull out! I just needed a breather that’s all…” 

“Alright…” Kai respected his wishes, but was also curious. “How come?” 

Tyson swallowed a hard lump in his throat. “You’re really big, and you are at your max right now, you are very turned on. I don’t want to admit that I need a break but it’s been a really long time since anything's been there Kai…” Tyson leaned his head back and took a few deep breaths. “Okay, I think I’m ready.” 

“Are you sure?” Kai asked concerned. 

Tyson nodded and Kai reached to his left and grabbed a bottle. 

“Is this water based?” 

Tyson nodded again. 

“Good.” Kai started to pour a mass amount all over himself and Tyson. “This should help a little bit.”

Tyson laughed and put his hand to his mouth. “Sorry Kai…” 

“It’s okay I just want you to be comfortable…” 

“Okay… now.” Tyson said as he lifted his head back up and looked into Kai’s eyes while he trailed his hands on his stomach. “Fuck me hard.”

Kai started to gently thrust. Tyson wasn’t making any noises but concentrating really hard on his breathing and everything else. 

Kai was practically all the way in now. And Tyson was close to losing his composure. 

“Mmmmm…. Yes… Fuck.” Tyson looked up to Kai with eyes that glistened. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Kai asked again. 

“If you ask me that one more time I’m going to lose it.” Tyson reached up with his fist and nicked Kai’s chin. 

“Alright…” Kai started to move faster. 

Tyson moaned as he exhaled and reached around Kai’s neck for balance. 

And then it felt like it happened so fast. Everything at once. Kai managed to hit the right spot and Tyson shrieked in pleasure and started begging and repeating the word ‘yes’, and ‘there’, over and over. At first Kai was worried about hurting him, now he was worried about not having enough stamina to keep up with him. Regardless Kai kept going. 

“Mmm ah fuck!” Tyson reached both his hands up to Kai’s hair and grasped it. “I’m going to cum!” 

“You better…” Kai said out of breath. 

Tyson didn’t realize but as he looked up at Kai his whole face was red, and he had a visible vein on his arm. He was trying with all his might to please him.

And it was that image that broke Tyson. 

“Ah! Kai!” Tyson cried out as his whole body curled in. 

“Mm Tyson ah…” Kai thrusted deep into him and rested there for a moment. 

When Kai pulled out they were both a mess. Covered in sweat and cum they both agreed to shower. Of course they took that shower together; but it was mostly an excuse to make out and still be slippery and wet.


	33. Chapter 33: Comfort

They both curled into bed and fell asleep instantly that night. 

When they awoke it surprised Kai to find himself wrapped in Tyson’s arms. 

_After everything that happened last night… I’m the little spoon?_

Kai snuggled into Tyson more. Tyson started to stir. He pulled away from Kai and sprawled out over almost the whole mattress. 

Kai found himself with little room on the bed and Tyson started to snore making getting back to sleep impossible. He crawled out of bed and sat on a large lounging chair opposite the bed. He tucked his knees into him and looked at Tyson. 

Although he was snoring he did seem peaceful in a way, or maybe it was just the familiar sight that comforted Kai; either way looking at Tyson made Kai feel at home. 

One of Tyson’s snores got caught in his throat and he started to groggily wake up. Kai watched the whole time. 

Tyson flipped to one side, then the other, when his eyes started to slowly open he saw Kai looking at him.

“Have you been watching me this whole time? You’re a creepy stalker now?” 

Kai smiled and chuckled. “Good morning to you too, Tyson.” 

Tyson tried to pull himself up into a sitting position. “Ugh I’m exhausted. What did we do last night, I feel like I got hit by a truck.”

“No!” Kai exclaimed and jumped up immediately to comfort Tyson. He put a hand on Tyson’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” 

“No, Kai, it’s not your fault. I wanted it! And it’s not like I was expecting to wake up not sore in the morning, especially after taking that, I feel accomplished if anything.” 

“What do you mean that?” Kai asked. 

Tyson looked down. “You know that, him… Your penis, Kai.” 

“Oh jeez… Is it really that bad?” Kai scratched his head embarrassed. 

“Nope it’s great! Not bad at all. I can at least take it, and now I’m used to it so it will only be easier from here on out.”

Tyson fell backwards and extended his arms as he landed into the sheets with a ‘plop’. He squealed and covered his face with his hands.

“I’m just so excited we finally did it!” Tyson said as he pulled his hands away from his face revealing an overjoyed smile. 

Kai looked down at him, he didn’t notice the smile creep across his own face. When Tyson peeled his hands off his face he saw the way Kai smiled at him. 

“You’re adorable Kai.” Tyson grinned. 

“I’m not!” Kai rolled his eyes. 

“Yes you are!” Tyson giggled again. 

Kai had changed from his sitting position and crawled on top of Tyson. He was sitting on top of him and leaned into Tyson, leaving their faces almost touching. 

“I’m not cute.” Kai growled. 

Tyson swallowed a hard lump in his throat. 

“Do you want to prove it Kai? Do you want to do it again?” Tyson looked up at him and purposely bit his lip. 

Kai exhaled as his breath got stuck in his throat. He fell forward and leaned into Tyson’s shoulder. 

“Don’t make me all excited, I couldn’t do it again this soon…” Kai mumbled into Tyson’s cheek. 

Tyson scrunched up his face towards Kai’s cheek.

“That tickled! Stop!” 

Kai started to kiss him on his neck over and over again as Tyson tried to push him away. 

“Stop!” Tyson giggled and laughed. “Kai!” 

Kai sat back up and looked down at Tyson smiling. Tyson reached up with a hand and let it lay on Kai’s cheek. 

Kai slowly closed his eyes. He reached up with his hand and placed it on Tyson’s hand, just holding it there, for a long time. 

“Kai? How are you feeling?” 

Kai slowly opened his eyes before answering. 

“I’m fucking amazing.” 

Tyson grinned and Kai mimicked him back. 

Kai suddenly let go of Tyson’s hand and bent down again, he kissed Tyson with as much emotion as he could muster, and pulled away slowly, crawling off him and stood beside the bed. 

Tyson sat there a little stunned. He managed to sit up and look at Kai. 

“Wow you are in a good mood!” Tyson rubbed his mouth with his wrist. 

“Mhhmm you know it…” Kai reached forward again and kissed Tyson. 

Tyson was the first to pull away. “Kai you told me not to get you all riled up again! Stop making me excited!” 

“Sorry…” Kai apologized and pulled away. He bent down and grabbed some clothes out of his bag. “So do you want to go for a walk? There must be some nice trails around here…” 

“As long as we can hold hands.” 

“We can hold hands."


	34. Chapter 34: Kai's Religion

They went for a walk and discovered the forest together. They got lost, found the trail again and made it back before dark. They took a bath in the hot spring and fell asleep in each other's arms. The next day they decided to leave the resort and get back on the road. 

They drove for days, staying in hotels or even resorts on the occasion. 

They travelled for ages. They explored cities big and small, landmarks, temples, and abandoned villages, in only a few weeks. 

The best part about it was discovering everything together. 

They learned it was a vast world, it could not be contained in maps or pictures. Even Kai who had travelled so far so recently felt a strange sense of awe. 

It was a once in a lifetime chance, but they felt like they felt it everyday, whenever they would look at each other. 

Kai felt overjoyed whenever he saw the sparkle in Tyson’s eyes when they saw something beautiful. 

Tyson felt a wild beat in his heart whenever he felt Kai’s sense of wonder when they gazed upon a new monument or building. 

Today they had visited a large temple in the heart of a bustling city. Tyson sat at the top, when Kai turned around he realised he was praying. 

Kai let him have his moment until he was done. 

Tyson separated his hands and stood up.

“Tyson I didn't know you were religious?” 

“He… Well not really… But I am I guess… It’s just traditional. After my dad left I would always go to shrines and temples with Grandpa. It became more of a habit than a belief. What about you Kai?” 

Kai seemed to scrunch up his face as if he caught a bad smell. Tyson didn’t clue into why it would be a tough subject. 

“Well… I- No. Not one bit. In the Abbey…” Kai trailed off. 

“I’m sorry Kai I forgot!” Tyson apologised for being so senseless.

“No it’s okay… It was an Abbey thing. So in the time that we weren’t studying or being trained brutally in the basement we were praying and forced to recite passages in the bible. I questioned everyday why I had to do that, and growing up like that… It was hard to imagine there was anyone trying to protect me. Although some kids did get really weird about it…” 

“I guess you kept your sense… You are a stubborn guy after all…” Tyson pointed out uneasily. 

“Yeah… So I'm not religious, but I understand why people are.” 

Tyson nodded understanding. 

“That must have been hard. I’m sorry that happened to you Kai.” 

Tyson looked at Kai with the most soft understanding eyes Kai had ever felt. It made him feel like his bones were melting. Tyson made him feel at ease in a way no one else could, he made everything feel better. 

“Thank you Tyson. You have no idea how much that means to me.” 

They were silent for a little while. They could hear the sirens and honking of horns in the distance. 

“Hey Kai…”

“Yeah?”

“Are you comfortable telling me more about the Abbey? I know it’s painful but…” 

Kai took a deep breath. Tyson’s heartbeat felt like it was doing loops in his chest as he was afraid he had offended him.

“I think that… Yes. I do want to tell you more. But I don't want you to think any less of me, or think that I need to be protected and coddled or anything…” 

“Kai I would never think I would have to protect you. Of course it’s a natural instinct for me to try to protect the one I love but… For you- You are the strongest person I know. I wish everyday to be as strong as you. I won’t think less of you, all I want to know is more details of your past; because I want to know everything about you. From start to finish.” 

“Alright.”

Tyson could feel tingles up his spine. The single word made him feel like he was washed in waves of anxiety. He wanted nothing more than for Kai to be comfortable enough to tell him about the Abbey. He didn’t want to screw this up.

“You don’t… Have to tell me now. But when you’re ready, or you have something you want to say. Just say it, okay?” Tyson smiled comforting Kai instantly. 

“Thank you, Tyson.”


	35. Chapter 35: Trauma

This particular day was a weird day.

They drove out of town with Tyson driving. They had taken a back road while they were having a conversation. They ended up finding themselves in a secluded area.

“This is a weird place Kai… Where are we?” 

“I honestly have no idea…” Kai said while glancing at the GPS. 

“Nowhere bad just kind of off the map…” Tyson glanced around uncomfortably as the forest started to thin out into a clearing.

It wasn’t sunny but it wasn’t cloudy either, just overall an undecisive day that wouldn’t make up it’s mind. 

“Okay Kai that’s really weird.”

They started driving into an old town that looked abandoned. Like everyone had just got up and left one day. 

Tyson drove up a close and possible and slowed down the car, eventually stopping.

“Do you want to go out and explore?” Kai asked.

“Are you kidding me? Have you ever seen a horror movie?” Tyson was clearly scared, and he clenched the steering wheel with both hands. 

“Come on there’s no one out here, it’s a stupid place for squatters, and there's probably a reason why no one lives here.” 

“Kai, if we go out there we are going to die.” 

“Oh come on Tyson just a quick look! I’ll hold your hand.” Kai teased him. He opened the door and climbed out.

“Kai! Kai!” Tyson turned off the car and pulled out the keys frantically getting out of the car and following Kai.

Tyson ran up behind him and grabbed his hand sticking close, like a bandaid.

“Tyson you’re cute.” 

“I have no idea where we are and we are walking through a creepy abandoned town in the middle of nowhere Kai. I’m not cute I’m a tough man with no fears.”

“Tyson what’s that!” Kai stopped in his tracks and pointed to an old building.

Tyson squealed and burrowed into Kai’s shoulder.

“I’m kidding! I’m kidding!” Kai held Tyson closer. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to! There’s nothing there Tyson…”

Tyson suddenly pushed himself away and punched Kai with a bit of force on the shoulder. “Don’t scare me like that, you dick!” 

Tyson looked really pissed, Kai wanted to make him feel better, and the best way to do that was to make him not scared by distracting him. 

“It’s okay Tyson there's tons of these towns in Japan. Abandoned mining towns. They were once busy towns but once the mines were all dried up everyone moved out. This is just one of these towns don’t worry.” 

Tyson still felt uneasy. 

But as he watched Kai he noticed something. 

Kai turned and looked around, surveying all the building’s one by one. He seemed to be intrigued by them, in an odd sort of way. He didn’t hate them, but he didn’t find them beautiful. The more Tyson thought about it, he had been this way with some of the older buildings; but especially these ones. 

“Kind of dystopian isn’t it…” Kai mumbled under his breath.

“Hey Kai… What’s with your obsession with abandoned buildings?” Tyson asked straight up without hesitating. 

Kai looked at him and blinked a few times. “I don’t have an obsession with abandoned buildings?” 

“Well it’s not an obsession… more of like… You can’t stop looking at them? What is it?” 

Kai looked around again. “I guess… It could be the colour scheme? It could be anything… But I guess it reminds me of the Abbey…” 

Tyson knew he had struck a nerve. 

“I’m sorry-"  
“No Tyson, it’s okay. You don’t know this but… When I was in England for school I went to visit Tala in Russia. We got together with a bunch of other boys and explored the Abbey.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I think they wanted to destroy it… Or hurt it… I don’t know. All I know is I went along with it. Everyone stayed above in the chapel while we went below, Tala and I. We wanted to find any documents we could… We didn’t find anything in the end. But it was… Terrifying. One of the most- Horrifying, stress-inducing moments of my life.” 

Tyson stayed silent for a moment. He didn’t know how to respond. He wanted Kai to open up to him so bad but he didn’t know the next step.

“I’m sorry Kai… I wish I had been there.” 

“It’s okay Tyson. Don’t worry about it. I had to do it, I had to go back. But I regret it… I regret so many things. Not looking hard enough, not exploring deeper, and not destroying it…”

“Would you ever go back?” 

“No never. I could never do it.” 

“What do you think would happen if you did?” 

“I would probably have a panic attack. I just don’t think I could…” 

It made sense to Tyson, but it still didn’t seem to all add up.

“So why are you so comfortable exploring places like these if it reminds you of the Abbey?” He asked confused out of his mind. 

“I’m not okay with it.” 

“So what-”

“I think I like… working for it. I know I can’t go back and I feel... Useless. But I still want to feel like I won against the Abbey. I don’t like losing, you know that. But especially something like that… It made me weak, and I want to win, I want to prove I’m stronger.” 

“I feel like I just got thrown back a few years…” Tyson grinned. 

Tyson always knew how to lighten up the mood, it soothed Kai. 

“Thank you Tyson…” 

“Do you want to get the hell out of here Kai?” 

“Sure.”

As Tyson drove away he could feel the tension in the care rise. He didn’t know why but Kai was visibly uncomfortable. 

“What’s wrong babe?”

“Please never call me babe ever again.  
“Okay honey.”

“Oh my god Tyson.”

“No but seriously what’s wrong?”

Kai leaned his head on the window. He leaned off it and opened it a crack so they could hear the faint sound of wind entering the car and letting them breathe fresh air. 

“Do you ever think… That maybe I’m messed up-”

“Kai you are not messed up we’ve been through this.”

“No I know but- Just- seriously hear me out for a second, okay?” Kai sounded abrupt.

Tyson nodded. “Okay, but you aren't messed up.” 

“Alright okay. But have you ever thought that maybe I’m messed up because of the Abbey?” 

No one talked for a while. Kai could feel the car slow down a bit. 

“You aren’t messed up.” Tyson said as he continued to look at the road.

Kai hung his head exhausted. 

“But I don’t think anyone can deny that the Abbey was a horrible influence on your life growing up, which led to you being-”

“Messed up.” Kai butted in and corrected him.

“No- Emotionally unstable.” 

Kai scoffed, “Just another word for ‘messed up’.”

“No Kai! You’re not messed up. But why are you worried about this?” 

“I- I remembered in Russia, why Tala and I were looking for those documents.” 

“Why?” 

“We wanted to review all the experiments that were done to us. Some kids were really fucked up Tyson. Kids killed themselves to get away from the trauma, and there's no doubt that they did experiments to Tala and me and the rest of the Blitzkrieg boys or Neo-Borg.”

Tyson nodded, showing that he understood, but didn’t know what to say.

“I have no idea what was done to me as a child. Do you think they messed with my brain, possibly scrambled it? Is that why I’m-”

“Not messed up.” Tyson corrected him before he could say it.

“Emotionally unstable,” Kai threw it right back at him.

“Are you?” Tyson asked the question and looked into Kai’s eyes away from the road. He dug deep into Kai, and Kai felt instantly naked.

“I-” Kai’s mouth suddenly felt dry. He swallowed and tried to fix it but no words would come out. He grabbed a water bottle beside him and chugged it, he capped it and put it back before finally answering. “A little bit.”

“But you’re not crazy Kai. I wouldn’t love you so much if you were crazy. Always remember that.” 

Kai looked to Tyson, he admired everything about him in that moment, his strength, his love, he felt so complete with Tyson. 

“Being with you doesn’t make me feel messed up…” Kai said without realizing it.

Tyson turned to him abruptly. “Really!?” He said excitedly. 

“Hey keep your eyes on the road!"


	36. Chapter 36: ...A Family?

They had finally decided it was time to start heading home. 

They marked the easiest route to take on their GPS and followed it.

It was a hollow feeling as they set out on the route they mutually decided to take home. They didn’t want to leave but they had to. The drive home seemed to drag on and on, but go too fast at the same time. 

They drove down a rough road that was canopied by trees. The setting sun shone through the green leaves and let rays of light speckle down on them and the deserted road. Kai was in the passenger seat and had the window down halfway so they felt the cool air around them as the warm sun came down through the windows. 

Kai was looking out the window aimlessly while Tyson just focused on the road. 

Kai looked into the forest and watched the trees pass by like lightning until something caught his eyes on the side of the road. 

“Tyson! Stop the car!” 

“What why?!” Tyson asked as he expertly swerved the car to the side of the road and stopped.

Kai didn’t answer him but Tyson would go along with any of Kai’s commands even before knowing if it was justified. He knew in that moment he trusted him. 

Kai threw open the passenger side door and got out of the car. Tyson turned off the car and followed him. 

Kai was fast and he was nearly running along the edge of the road as Tyson increased his pace to keep up with him. 

“Kai what is it!?- Oh.” Kai had slid down the ditch as Tyson stood at the top looking down. 

There was the most generic cardboard box he could possibly see, there was smudged writing on it. 

Kai picked up the box and lifted it up to Tyson who propped it up by the road and threw his hand to Kai who took it and Tyson pulled him up out of the ditch. 

Kai went to the box and pulled open the top, there was a small hole but it wasn’t big enough. 

“I didn’t actually think I would ever see anyone do this…” Kai shook his head as he kneeled and reached into the box with one hand. 

“So what is it Kai…”

Kai pulled out a glob of dark grey fur. 

“Is that a kitten, are you kidding me? That is ridiculously picture perfect…” Tyson sat down on the ground and reached into the box picking out two more clumps of fur, one was black, and the other was a lighter grey.

Kai held the kitten closer and started to rub it up and down. 

“It may feel hot to you Tyson but it's really chilly, especially for these little guys…” Kai reached forward and grabbed the black one away from Tyson and started to rub them both while leaning them on his thighs. 

Tyson was left with only the light grey, so he started to copy Kai’s movements. 

“How young are they?” Tyson asked. 

“Probably still on milk…” Kai said uneasily as he looked up and down the road. 

Tyson looked around too. The box couldn’t have been there long, but he couldn’t read the writing, it was smudged, as if it had been there overnight.

“Judging by the location they were dropped, their owners obviously didn’t want them found…” Kai’s eyes lit up as one of the kittens mewed. 

Tyson’s kitten was the second to meow. He opened his eyes and looked up at Tyson and started to paw at his stomach. 

“Tyson? Can you look up the closest vet on your phone. We need to take them in.” 

Tyson nodded and pulled out his phone keeping an eye on the kitten the whole time. He found the closest vet and was about to tell Kai before he looked at him and was struck with an emotion he couldn’t grasp.

Kai was looking down at the second kitten on his lap. The other was awake and active pawing at Kai’s leg. 

“Come on…” Kai said under his breath. He grabbed the ball of fur with both hands and started to rub it all over. He held him close to his face and gently kissed it’s forehead. 

He started to rub at it’s cheeks and held him close to his chest. He lifted it up to his ear and listened to it’s heartbeat by it’s stomach, he held it there, all around was silent, all he did was listen. 

Tyson felt his heartbeat slow, and the whole world stop in time. This wasn’t a side of Kai he had ever seen before. He never assumed a fatherly caring affection was buried so deep in Kai, but he seemed to know so much about these animals. 

Kai pulled the kitten away without saying anything; Tyson knew it was okay when he studied Kai’s expression, he looked determined, not disheartened. 

“Come on. You can do it.” Kai whispered. He rubbed his back a few more times and laid it back on his lap.

Then it started to stir. 

It slowly lifted up his head and looked towards Kai with tired glazed eyes. 

Kai’s eyes seemed to sparkle. Tyson was overcome with a feeling of being proud of him, yet so happy. 

“Come on Kai I now where the vet is! Let's take them right away.” 

During the whole car ride Kai held the lethargic kits on his lap. The drive was only a few minutes, but it was a challenge either way. Tyson was on edge because Kai looked worried. 

As soon as they parked Kai gently held the bunches of fur in his arms. Tyson got out of the car and opened Kai’s door for him.

“Thank you, Tyson.” 

“Do you want me to take one?” Tyson extended his arms. 

“Kai nodded and handed Tyson the light grey tabby he was holding before. 

Inside the vets office there were two customers waiting previously with pets in carriers. Kai and Tyson walked up to the front desk. There was a man on the computer, he stopped to look at them.

“How can I help you guys today?” 

“Um…” Tyson started awkwardly. “We found these things-”

“We found these kittens on the side of the road.” Kai butted in. “We need to get them looked over, they look unhealthy and we have no idea how long they were abandoned for.”

The man looked around the room. “We are overbooked today, busy, and it’s getting later…” 

Kai wasn’t going to take no as an answer. “Are you saying you’re not going to help these animals? They could die without your care.” Kai started to raise his voice.

Tyson wanted to calm him down but he knew Kai’s anger was justified. He knew the man was just trying to do his job but there were lives on the line. 

The man shuffled in his seat. “I’ll go talk to the vet.” 

He left the room and disappeared into the back. 

Tyson and Kai stood in the middle of the waiting room holding small lethargic kittens smelling the overwhelming scent of cleaning products and wet dog wondering what the hell was happening.

“And who is this?!” A young lady cooed as she walked over to Kai. “Can I pet one?” She asked playfully. 

“Sure…” Kai said uneasily. 

“Where did you pick them up from?” She looked only at Kai and addressed only Kai.

“A road in the middle of nowhere a few minutes away from here.” Kai answered as she gently pet one of them.

“Awww they’re so cute! And you saved them? That’s so kind of you!” 

Tyson squinted his eyes at her. He knew flirting when he saw it and that’s what this was. It suddenly occurred to Tyson that he was a jealous person. And he had no idea how he felt about women hitting on Kai till now. He knew Kai had liked women before and it made Tyson extremely self-conscious, it was the one thing he couldn’t do for Kai. 

“I wouldn’t say we saved them yet. The vet has to look at them.” Kai’s voice knocked Tyson out of his thoughts. 

The girl made a side glance at Tyson but looked back to Kai right away. 

She put her hand on Kai’s arm and giggled. “Well I still think that’s great of you! Such a kind heart…” 

Kai looked down at his arm in the place where her hand was resting and looked her straight in the eyes giving off a hard glare. 

She pulled her hand away almost as if she had burnt it. 

“Sorry about that…” She mumbled and turned around to sit back down in one of the waiting room chairs.

Tyson wanted to say something to Kai but was interrupted by the man coming back. He explained that the vet would see to them right away and then tend to the other animals that didn’t need such drastic care.

They were put in one of the few small vet rooms where the vet quickly looked over the kittens and gave Tyson and Kai a few pre-made bottles of milk. He showed them how to feed one of them and he latched onto the bottle without a problem. The vet told them he would be right back after he finished up with his final customers. 

Kai leaned on the edge of the counter as he bottle-fed the smallest black one. Tyson sat on the floor with the dark and light gray tabbies feeding them both at once. They were super active and kept latching on, it was awkward and cute and Tyson giggled. Kai grinned; he looked back down to the small black cat who was weaker than the rest for some reason. He was latching but not very well. 

“So Tyson I swear you were going to punch that poor woman…” Kai started conversation while trying desperately to get the small black kit to get all the milk. 

Tyson’s kittens had already finished and had snuggled up against him and started to doze off.

“Well… At first I was pissed cause you didn’t notice… Then I thought you were into it-”

“Why would I be into it?” Kai scoffed.

Tyson suddenly looked down. His shoulders sank and he looked down to the floor.

“Well at one point you were into girls, right?” 

Kai would have been laughing harder if he wasn’t holding the kitten, but he started uncontrollably giggling.

“What? What is it!” Tyson asked getting a little frustrated. 

“What the hell!? That was ages ago!” 

“So you could still like ‘em…” Tyson pouted.

“Tyson.” 

Tyson looked up at Kai who had suddenly became very serious. 

Kai rearranged himself on the edge of the counter and looked down to the kitten, then back to Tyson.

“There wasn’t, and never will be, any woman or man who will make me as happy as you do. Remember that.” 

Tyson’s eyes widened, he was surprised at the tone Kai took, and the way his eyes seemed to melt as he looked down at him…

“Kai…” 

“Also, I haven’t been with a woman in ages, and I prefer men, but, overall, I prefer you.” 

“Kai!” Tyson laughed as he said his name again. 

Then the door to the room opened. The vet walked in, he explained that he was done with his patients for the day and that now they had his full attention. 

He relooked over the cats that Tyson had on the table. He gestured to Kai to give him the black cat.

“He’s not eating…” Kai admitted glumly. He sounded as if he had failed somehow, it broke Tyson’s heart. 

“Sometimes it just takes a little bit of force.” The vet said as he took the kitten away from Kai, Kai reluctantly let him go. 

The vet expertly used two fingers to press open the kitten's mouth and shoved the bottle in with a little bit of force, he squeezed the bottle so it flowed into the kitten's mouth. It took a few more tries but eventually the small ball of fur began to understand and began to latch itself. 

The vet gently passed the cat with the bottle over to Kai, who began to feed him himself. 

Kai had a look of understanding and triumph on his face that warmed Tyson’s heart. 

The vet gave them a bath to clean off the dust and any nasty particles they may have had and pulled out papers and explained to Tyson and Kai how to fill them out and register the cats into the system.

“Woah woah woah wait.” Tyson dramatically flung his hands back and forth in front of his face. “Are these our cats now?!” 

Kai looked to the vet. “Could you guys take them?” 

“Unfortunately we are all filled up tonight. I can’t take them tonight… But I can refer you to some other vets or adoption centers…” 

Kai gave a look to Tyson. Tyson knew what it meant and gave him a mean glare. The vet felt the tension immediately and made an excuse to leave the room. He left them with the kittens on the table so they were forced to watch them. 

“Kai, we can’t take these kittens.” 

Tyson folded his arms and sighed, looking exhausted. 

“Why not?” Kai scrunched up his face looking confused. 

“Do you know how much work a pet is? Let alone a kitten! You have to feed it, bottle-feed it! Every few hours! And it’s a commitment. You have to train it and-” 

“Okay!” Kai interrupted Tyson. “But I’m home all the time-” 

“Kai…” 

“Can I just…” Kai reached forward and grabbed the black ball of fur and cradled him in his arms. 

He hugged it and looked towards Tyson with a cute expression. Tyson rolled his eyes.

“Kai, you’re not going to convince me by playing cute.” 

Kai grinned still trying to play it off. 

“Kai! Haha..” Tyson laughed at him, it was obvious he wanted these cats. 

Tyson reached forward and patted one on the table. “Kai, why do you want them so bad?”

“What if it’s a sign? We found them… And no one else can take care of them so…” 

“Kai, that’s so not your way of thinking.” 

Kai moved his head side to side, questioning it himself. 

“I think you just want these cute kittens for yourself.”

Kai opened his mouth about to retort with some sass but then he realized the truth. 

“So what? Maybe I do? Maybe I want them for us… In your house- Is that so bad?” 

Tyson was shocked into a silence. He didn’t know what to say.

Tyson though and thought but couldn’t figure it out. 

“What do you… mean Kai?” 

Kai felt like he had shrunk three sizes, he just wanted to disappear. 

“I just want to take care of something with you… That’s all… Maybe this is a sign that it’s a good place to start…” 

Tyson felt his heart sink.

_Maybe I have been too harsh… Kai knows a lot about these animals. And he does need something to do when I’m gone since he’s not working right now… And he obviously really wants them._

“Okay, Kai. We can keep them. But only if you teach me how to take care of them too, you can’t do all the work! And don’t let them near my grandpa's pond!” 

Kai’s eyes opened wide and sparkled. “Thank you, Tyson. It will be great and you’ll love them! I promise."


	37. Chapter 37: Home and Family

They pulled into the driveway a few hours later. It was late at night now, well, technically, early morning. They didn’t want to stop anywhere with the cats, so they pushed on home. 

“You texted Tala, right?” Tyson asked while turning off the car and turning to Kai.

“Yeah ages ago, remember? We’re both tired I guess…” Kai shrugged his shoulders.

The front gate to the Dojo opened and a red headed boy ran out towards them.

“Tala!” Tyson said while opening up his car door. 

“Hey guys! You’re back! You were only gone a few weeks but I felt so lonely.” Tyson hopped out of the car and opened his arms giving Tala a short reassuring hug. 

Kai opened the passenger door and climbed out, he immediately opened the side passenger door. 

“Hey Kai!” Tala called out while walking towards him. 

“There is something different about you guys… What changed?” He looked side to side at both of them suspiciously. Tala opened his mouth wide and grew a massive grin. “Did you guys finally do it!?” 

“No, better!” Tyson laughed while Kai pulled the carrier out of the backseat. 

Tyson made a pose dramatically pointing to a smiling Kai holding the carrier and Tyson flashed finger guns.

“We got kits!” 

Tala was surprised and shocked before he started to laugh uncontrollably. Kai and Tyson joined it, and soon they were already having a great sleep-deprived reunion. 

They brought all their luggage into the living room along with the cats. They had bought food on the way and Kai set up food and water bowls for them in the corner of the room under the old bay window, so they would get light and shade. 

Everyone sat on the floor before they opened the cat carrier and the sleepy kittens came stumbling out. Tala giggled as the light grey female tabby came bounding towards him and rubbed against his thigh. 

Kai had some premade bottles to feed them and gave everyone one for one kitten. 

“So Hilary and Max are out?” Tyson asked wondering where everyone was as he cradled the dark grey tabby male trying to get him to latch on the bottle.

“Yes, Hilary had a doctors appointment today and was tired so she went home, and Max is visiting his father tonight, so I stayed in the Dojo. We have always had one person here like you asked.” Tala said while concentrating on the light grey kitten in his arms as Kai tried to show him how to feed it. 

When Kai had finally showed Tala how to get the small cat to latch, he sat back down. The black kitten bounded to Kai tripping over his own little feet. Kai picked him up and gave him the bottle, this time he started to suck right away with no problems. 

“Okay but something is still different. I wasn’t wrong about you guys doing it, right?” Tala said in a coy voice looking more towards Kai than Tyson.

“Do what? We did many things.” Kai retorted, purposely dodging the question. 

“He means if we had sex, Kai.” Tyson said to Kai before he noticed it was a game, “Whoops sorry…” 

“So, did you?” Tala asked excitedly. 

“Yes.” 

It surprised Tyson that Kai answered with the truth, let alone answered at all.

“Wow really?! Was it good?! Who topped?! Who bottomed?!” Tala layered question after question. It made Kai’s head ache. 

“Okay Tala calm down! We only did it once, so we aren’t too comfortable talking about it like that quite yet.” Tyson looked to Tala and gestured to Kai in an attempt to ask him not to make him too uncomfortable. 

“Alright…” Tala unwillingly dropped the subject. “So have you two named these little guys yet?” He gestured to the kittens.

“No, we actually haven’t…” Tyson realized and looked down at his dark grey tabby and then to Kai who was holding the black male. 

Kai looked dumbfounded. “You can’t expect me to name every single one!” 

Tyson giggled at Kai. “No that's not what I’m thinking.”

“How about we all name the one we’re holding?” Kai suggested. 

“Good idea!” Tyson chimed in.

“Are you guys sure you want me to name it too?” Tala had a puzzled expression on his face. “I mean I didn’t really do anything…”

“Yes, you deserve it.” Kai said in a surprisingly smooth and reassuring voice. 

“I have no idea what to name her… It’s a girl, right?” Tala asked.

“Yeah, she’s a girl” Kai replied. “And these two are males.” Kai pointed to his and Tyson’s.

“I think I know what to name him.” Tyson said looking down at the bundle of fur with awe. 

“You already know?” Kai was surprised, he didn’t think he thought about it that much.

“Yes! I have been thinking about it for a while…” Tyson admitted.

“Well, what it is?” Kai was very curious.

“Draco! Tyson had gently pulled the bottle out of the kittens mouth when he was done. The ball of fur looked sleepy and Tyson held him up by his arms and pointed him towards Kai. “See! Doesn’t he look strong! He reminds you of a dragon!”

“And we all know you have a thing for dragons.” Tala pointed out and Kai chuckled at the joke.

“Hey, it’s not funny!” Tyson pouted as he pulled the kitten away.

“No! I like it. Little Draco.” Kai inched closer to Tyson and looked down at Draco. “It suits him.”

They all looked down at Draco. There was a few seconds of silence as the name sunk in. 

Tyson looked to Tala. “Thought up any names yet?” 

“You’re going to have to give me more than two seconds!” 

“I think I have a name.” Kai said breaking the silence.

They both turned to him. He was looking down at the black cat in his arms.

“I think his name is Ash.” Kai said confidently. 

Tyson slid over on the carpet and leaned against Kai’s shoulder. “I love it.” 

Tala looked down to his tabby. 

“I wish I could look at her and just know what her name is like you guys…” 

“Well just look at her and think about it.” Kai said matter-of-factly. 

“It’s not that easy-” Tala’s words dragged off as he looked down at the tabby sleeping in his arms. 

“Don’t tell me you figured it out just like that. It's too perfect.” Tyson leaned further into Kai’s shoulder. 

“What’s her name Tala?” Kai made it sound like a statement instead of a question, like she had a name already. 

“I think…” Tala started uneasily, the gained more confidence. “Her name is Nika.” 

“Very Russian.” Kai said to Tala but clarified it to Tyson. 

“I like it. Very foreign.” Tyson pointed out. 

“But much like home.” Tala responded awkwardly, as if it made him sad, but comforted at the same time. 

Tyson felt a shiver crawl through Kai’s body as Tala said it too. 

“You okay Kai?” 

“Yeah I’m fine.”

“Good.” 

Kai cleared his throat. “So we have Draco, Ash, and Nika?” 

“I think they are perfect.” Tyson said sleepily and burrowed into Kai’s shoulder. 

Tala’s expression was filled with happiness for them.

“Tyson I thought you didn’t want them? Now they are perfect?” Kai pointed out cheekily. 

“Shuddup…” Tyson muffled through Kai’s shoulder. 

“I think it’s time for bed guys.” Tala said while standing up. 

Kai had to drag Tyson and the kittens upstairs. He had put the kittens in the carrier and held Tyson’s hand after they said goodnight to Tala and proceeded to make it up the stairs. 

Tyson collapsed on the bed while Kai got to work making an enclosure for the kittens. 

He set up some books and heavy objects in a corner of the room and made a hopefully inescapable play area. He put newspaper down and water along with a makeshift litter box, which he didn’t think they would use but was there just in case. Finally he laid the carrier inside and opened the door. They were soundly asleep inside, they were exhausted. 

Kai crawled on to the bed and fell into the blankets beside Tyson. He slowly draped an arm over him, to his surprise Tyson was awake. 

“Sorry Tyson I thought you were asleep…” 

“Naw… But I’m tired. How late is it?” 

“It’s about four in the morning…” Kai mumbled. 

“Damn…” Tyson slowly flipped himself over so his face was close to Kai’s. “Well I think we did good.”

“Mmmm… We did.” Kai agreed with half closed eyes. 

Tyson moved forward slowly and kissed him gently. He pulled away but still stayed as close to Kai as possible. 

Kai took a deep breath in and out. He let himself fall into Tyson’s breaths and his presence as they both fell into a deep sleep.


	38. Chapter 38: Discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More s3X lol

The morning was peaceful. It was quiet and the sun streamed through the windows in Tyson’s bedroom, then they heard the mewing. 

It was the afternoon by the time they dragged themselves out of bed. Kai and Tyson fed the kittens before starting breakfast; Tala was out of the house. 

“Where did Tala go?” Tyson asked curiously while handing Kai a plate with food off the counter.

They walked to the dining room table as Kai answered. 

“I’m not sure. We could text him if you really wanted to know?” 

“I’m not to worried he has his own personal life.” Tyson dug into his food like a machine. 

“Wow you’re hungry Tyson.”

“I have no idea how you’re not!?” 

“Hey Tyson…” Kai started uneasily. “The home phone on the kitchen counter barely rings but there is a light blinking?” 

“That means there’s a message.” Tyson continued to shovel food into his mouth, ignoring it. 

“Should I check it?” 

“If you want to.” Tyson shrugged. 

Kai ate a few bites then got up and leaned on the edge of the counter where the machine was. He tried to click a few buttons to navigate the menu. He finally figured it out and played back the messages. 

“Oh Tyson there’s like 4 messages on here…” 

**You have one new message**

“Tyson this thing sounds ancient.”

“Grandpa did get it many years ago…”

The answering machine played back the number, as it did Tyson froze. Then it started to play back the messages.

**“Hey Tyson. It’s just your dad. Hiro and I are in Cairo! It’s exciting, call me back.”**

He sounded awkward on the phone, like he hadn’t talked to Tyson in ages and he didn’t know what to say.

The machine beeped and played back the next message.

**“Uh, Hey Tyson. I hope you got my message… I called yesterday… It’s not like you to ignore my messages. Call me back. Uh, bye.”**

The machine beeped and played back another message.

**“Tyson it’s Hiro. Dad is worried about you. We were thinking of coming over there soon since we need to leave Cairo to get to another dig site but we have a little time in between. Call us back, bye.”**

The machine beeped and played back a message from just a few days before, a long time after the previous messages.

**“Tyson it’s your dad. This is getting ridiculous, you can’t ignore us forever. I know what happened last time we were over there was er… Less than desirable. Hiro’s arm is still healing. We are going to come over there to see you in a few days. Mostly to make sure you’re alive… But also because I... love you. See you soon.”**

“Are you serious.”

Tyson’s voice seemed to echo through the empty kitchen.

Kai scanned Tyson up and down. Tyson was extremely angry, he dropped everything he was doing and seemed to be vibrating. Kai walked over to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and then hugged him tightly while bending over and leaning on his shoulder from behind. 

“It’s okay Tyson-”

“No it's not!” 

Kai flinched expecting Tyson to throw him off, but he didn’t, Kai felt dumb for expecting it.

“They steal all my stuff, sell it, take my money, have no respect for my Grandpa, his father, and now they are just going to show up? Cause they love me? I’m sick of the bullshit, Kai. I’m-”

“It’s okay Tyson. I’m here now. I’ll protect you. I can fight for you.” 

“What? Are you going to throw them out of the house?” Tyson scoffed.

“If I have to.” 

Tyson stayed silent for a moment. Kai held him harder and spoke up.

“You said things got physical with Hiro. What happened?” Kai spoke with the kind of honey coated voice that shattered Tyson. 

Tyson always wanted Kai to open up emotionally with him as much as possible. So whenever Kai was legitimately concerned for Tyson’s well being, it made his heart burn. And in this situation all he wanted to do was cry and have Kai hold him.

But he knew it wouldn’t fix his problem. 

“I- He-” Tyson took a deep breath in and continued. “They refused to leave and my brother tried to intimidate me. I pushed him, he pushed me, there was a lot of pushing, but my dad broke it up before anything got too bad… After I grabbed Hiro’s arm… It twisted, I didn’t think there was anything wrong at the time but I guess...” 

Tyson looked to the floor. Kai kissed his cheek gently. It was the passionate caring side of Kai that made everything around Tyson feel okay. 

Tyson’s face wrinkled into a scowl. “I have no idea when they’re coming. But sometime in the next few days. And I don’t like it.” 

“Well, I will be here, you and Tala, Together we will make sure they don’t take anything, and we get them out as soon as possible.” 

“Wait Kai you actually want them to stay?!”

“Not stay, but they are your family. You should treasure them. They’ve done bad horrible things, but you have a father, and a brother, and they still care for you.” 

Tyson seemed upset at Kai’s response but he understood where he was coming from. Kai hadn’t had a proper family in years, and probably never had one. Tyson took everything in and calmed himself down. 

“You okay Tyson?” Kai asked in a soft voice.

“Yeah I’m fine… Just nervous. I don’t know when they will be here…”

“How can I cheer you up?” Kai asked in a soothing voice right beside Tyson’s ear.

“You jerk… You know how…” Tyson’s voice cracked slightly.

Kai reached down with his arms from the hug he was giving him and reached down into Tyson’s shirt and rubbed his chest. “I have no idea…” Kai grinned. 

“Kai… We haven’t done anything since the resort… You sure you're okay?” 

Kai reached down further and had to bend into Tyson’s shoulder more. He placed his lips near his ear. “Yeah, I’m sure I’m fine… As long as you’re fine Tyson…” 

“More than fine Kai I’m ready to do anything anytime.”

“Don’t say that Tyson I’m very active, you know?”

“Well, you have to start owning up to that then…” Tyson bent his head back, the rubbing started to feel really good the more Kai did it. 

“I’m not even doing anything Tyson.” Kai chuckled right by Tyson’s ear, it sent an instant shock through his body. 

Tyson’s face started to go red. “Let's go to the- the bedroom!” 

They managed to climb up the stairs falling overtop of each other. 

They ran into the bedroom, Tyson shut the door behind them. The kittens were jumping all over the room excitedly, they had left them there so they wouldn’t get into anything downstairs, where nothing was kitten-proofed yet. 

“What are you doing?” Tyson asked while Kai pulled out his phone.

“Oh, I just quickly texted Tala so he doesn't come home…”

“Good plan. We’re going to be loud.” Tyson pointed out. 

Tyson walked forward and played with the edge of Kai’s shirt. He looked into Kai’s eyes. 

“Kai?”

“Yes, Tyson?” Kai said while copying Tyson’s glances. 

“I want you to initiate everything this time. Last time I did a lot of stuff to start up… But if you don’t mind…” 

“Aaah, I get it.” a low laugh rose in Kai’s throat. “You like being played with, don’t you?” 

“No, I don’t!” Tyson complained. 

“Yes, you _so _do.” Kai grinned seductively, in a way that made Tyson’s spine tingle.__

____

____

Kai suddenly pulled Tyson into him and kissed him, at first gently then with a fiery passion. 

Kai angled Tyson toward the bed and let go of him, Tyson got the drift and grabbed Kai’s arm, pretended to have Kai push him into the bed.

“Mmm, getting a little excited there, Kai?” Tyson fell on his back and tried to sit up on his arms, but he was too late.

Kai climbed over Tyson and held down his arms overtop of him. 

He got really close to Tyson’s face. They could feel their hot breaths completely surround each other, Tyson’s ears were scarlet red. Kai kissed him fast and let go.

“Is this okay?” Kai asked while loosening his grip on Tyson’s wrists.

“Yeah, I like it…” 

“Just tell me when rough is too rough…” Kai said uneasily. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I know Kai, and you won’t.” 

“I’m still scared.” He admitted.

“It’s okay Kai. We will take it slow. Eventually you won’t have any reason to be scared.”

“You promise?” 

“I promise Kai.” 

Kai sat up and moved his position so he was straddling Tyson, he let go of his arms so Tyson had free range. 

The first thing Tyson did was lift up Kai’s shirt, Kai took it off right away. 

“I’m glad you’re so comfortable with me seeing your chest and back now.” Tyson trailed the tips of his fingers up and down Kai’s chest. 

“You’ve seen me naked, I’m not worried.” Kai finally admitted out loud and to himself. 

“Although everything has healed really well. You have next to no scars on your back, and it hasn’t even been that long.” Tyson smiled while admiring Kai’s body.

“It’s still pretty bad… but thanks.” Kai put his hands on Tyson’s stomach. He noticed how muscular Tyson was there. 

“Woah-!” Kai exclaimed suddenly and wildly.

“Kai! Haha!” Tyson started laughing. “I only gently grazed your nipple? Did I startle you? I’m sorry!” 

“No, no, you didn’t!” Kai looked away awkwardly.

“Oh my god Kai, do you have sensitive-”

“No! Maybe- A little bit...” Kai’s voice trailed off.

“Aww Kai…” Tyson slide his hands up and flicked both of Kai’s nipples at once.

“Tyson stop that!” 

“You just got harder, didn’t you? I felt it…” Tyson joked as he moved his hips under Kai.

“Tyson you…” Kai looked into Tyson’s eyes, Tyson could feel the competitive edge. “I know that you’re sensitive too…” Kai teased.

“Oh no…” 

Kai bent down and startled Tyson as he started to kiss his stomach, down and then up to his upper body. 

“Kai! Kai that tickles! Stop!” Tyson was giggling uncontrollably. He held Kai’s head trying to stop him but Kai kept going. “Haha Kai! Ah!” 

Kai had started to kiss Tyson’s nipples, at first jokingly, then seriously. 

“Mmmhm! Kai! Ah! That feels weird! It tickles but…”

Kai stopped and looked up. “But it feels oddly good right? You feel it all over?” 

“Yeah… Unh… How come?” Tyson said gathering his breath back.

“You don’t know? You’re nipples and ears are sensitive spots…” 

“Your ears are too!?” Tyson said in disbelief. 

“Yeah? I thought you knew that.” Kai laughed.

“What else are we going to do!?” Tyson asked excitedly and impatient. 

“You wanted to go slow remember Tyson? We can’t do everything at once.” 

Tyson pouted.

Kai felt his whole body shift. 

He wanted to make Tyson feel really good. Better than anyone had before. He wanted to do everything with him, but he didn’t know how. But he wanted more than anything to try.

“Tyson? Can I do something to you that I don’t normally do?” 

“Mmm… Depends on what it is… But go ahead.” Tyson said excited, but uneasy. 

Kai dropped himself even lower and pulled down Tyson’s pants and boxers in one pull. 

He slowly grasped Tyson’s dick.

“Kai, are you going to!?-”

“I’m not very good at this… But can I try?” 

Kai tilted his head as he asked. It reminded Tyson of that time Kai was drunk and trying to do the same thing… It made him harder on the spot. 

“Woah Tyson…” 

“Do it please!” Tyson begged through shallow breaths. 

Kai shrugged and start to jerk him, but he didn't do it for very long before he put his mouth on it. The sight got to Tyson right away, it was something he didn’t imagine Kai doing, it was very submissive the way he did it, it wasn’t his regular style. 

_I wonder if maybe he did this with Frederick a lot… He’s strangely good… Not like I wasn’t expecting him to be good but not in this way… It’s like he's going fast, to get it over with instead of savouring it, like it's rehearsed too…_

Tyson lowered his hand to grasp Kai’s hair.

Kai pulled away from him immediately and pulled himself up. 

“ **Don’t **touch me.”****

********

********

Tyson’s hand recoiled back fast, and he felt a shock run through his body, he was terrified. 

Kai saw it reflect in Tyson’s face immediately. 

“I’m sorry Tyson! I didn’t mean to shock you- I-”

“It’s okay Kai. You used to do that with Frederick a lot, right?” 

Tyson saw the flash of fear in Kai’s eyes. 

“It’s okay. Don’t go fast with things if you’re uncomfortable-”

“I’m not uncomfortable though Tyson! Not with you. With you I feel the most comfortable I’ve ever been. I just-”

Tyson could feel Kai’s anger rising. It was justified; after all Frederick was the reason Kai was too scared to do anything, it was interrupting their moments. 

“Kai.”

Kai looked to Tyson. 

“Take your time. Do you want to do it?”

“Do what?” 

“Continue giving me a-”

“I do want to continue Tyson I’m just… I’m _not _scared.”__

____

____

“Alright Kai.” Tyson lifted up his hand and let it fall on Kai’s face. “Then try it again, and go slow, don’t worry about anything, about how I’m feeling about how you're feeling… Just keep doing it till you're comfortable with feeling everything and touching.”

Kai nodded. “Can you give me a favour Tyson? Just keep talking to me the whole time… I know it’s a weird request but I would feel better hearing your voice.”

“Of course Kai.”

“Okay… Here I go.” Kai took a deep breath in and out. Kai glided his fingers along Tyson’s inner thighs and grasped them. He slowly inched down but stopped and looked to Tyson waiting for reassurance.

“I’ll keep my hand on your head, okay? I just like to feel your hair and your head bobbing… Haha… I like how you’re holding my thighs too… Are thighs a sensitive spOT!-”

Kai had began to lick and suck all over. It was getting Tyson excited again, which was good because he had lost most of it during their talk. Kai started to slow down when Tyson stopped talking.

“Unhah! Kai that’s good… You even know how to get the balls- Mmm! Good thing I trimmed last night ah!-”

“Well that's really sexy to hear thank you Tyson.” Kai mumbled.

“I don’t know what to talk about!” 

“Just say stuff…” Kai trailed off as he started again.

“Mmmnnn aahh… I have no idea what to say Kai.” Tyson stroked his hair. 

Kai continued. 

“Fuck, Kai, it’s really good…”

Kai finally put his whole mouth on it and moved up and down in a rhythm.

“Ah ah! Fuck… Kai- I need to keep talking- It’s good- Really good- I want to do more with you- I need it keep going don’t stop- I need it- need you- keep going-”

Tyson felt a fuzzy furball on his arm. He turned his head to see a furry face staring him down.

“Inappropriate time, Draco!”

Tyson tried to turn away but the kitten batted his face. 

“Oh my god.”

“Tyson I can’t be that bad- oh.” Kai had stopped to look up and saw the problem. 

“Kai, I told you not to stop!” 

“I’m sorry but Draco climbed up on the bed! Here I’ll get him down…” Kai climbed up and grabbed the ball of fur and put him back on the ground with his brother and sister. Tyson rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t forget about you, don’t worry.” Kai grinned while getting himself comfortable in his previous position.

“Ah! Kai!”

And then they kept going, slowly, and smoothly the entire night. They discovered each other step by step and Kai gained much more stability and confidence, it took many glorious hours. Tala never made it home that night either.


	39. Chapter 39: Hiro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I timestamped this one as: May 13, 2016, its been a few years huh. I think I took a long break in between writing the last chapters and this one, but this chapter is intense AF.

Tyson had realised through trial and error that Kai wasn’t just afraid of hurting Tyson, he was afraid of getting hurt himself, even if he didn’t think so. 

Tyson knew that Kai had changed dramatically since Russia. He used to want to get hurt, now he has a completely opposite mindset. Tyson was trying his hardest to cater to Kai and make sure they were both comfortable. He especially wanted to keep trying new things in bed to make Kai break through the walls he had built.

But right now Tyson had forgotten about all of that. 

The next few days were some of the most stressful days of Tyson’s life. 

He went back to work, everyday awaiting the inevitable arrival of his father and brother. 

Tyson and Kai had explained to Tala, Hilary and Max the situation that was about to unfold, and that someone should be watching them at all times. 

Kai was keeping a watchful eye on Tyson as the days passed. He was always on edge, Kai wanted to make him better, to fix everything, all he wanted was for Tyson to be forever happy. It made strong emotions rumble in his chest, he was angry at Tyson’s father and Hiro for treating him the way they did; and he was still angry at himself for ignoring Tyson when he needed him most, and for breaking his Grandpa’s promise. 

Regardless Kai tried hard to keep Tyson on his feet. In between Tyson’s work Tala and Kai were the only ones at home, and they got to work on setting up the Dojo.

They hid anything that was valuable, and they kitten proofed at the same time. The cats were going to be indoor so they just had to make sure they couldn’t get out or get into anything, which was easier said than done, after a few accidents they had to amp up their ‘kitten proofing game’. 

After the long days of preparing the house Tala would leave to go to what he called his ‘new night jobs’, and Tyson would come home, Kai would often already have dinner prepared, it was never gourmet, but Tyson always appreciated it. 

They would cuddle on the couch while watching Tyson’s favourite TV shows. Kai tried his hardest, he would always stroke Tyson’s hair just the way he liked it, and kept the volume at the right level. It was all for Tyson right now. 

“Hey Kai?” Tyson mumbled through a tired voice. 

Tyson was laying on Kai’s chest on top of him on the couch. Kai responded soothingly. 

“What is it Tyson?” 

“I just wanted to say that… I really really appreciate you here… Doing all these things for me. It’s the most I could ask for, and the most anyone has given me.”

Kai didn’t say anything. He just lifted his arms and held Tyson. Kai kissed Tyson’s head, he lagged for a moment with his lips along his hair. 

You can thank me after they’ve come and gone.

  
It was a weekend morning when they heard a knock on the door. 

Tyson was not working today. After breakfast Tyson, Tala, and Kai sat around in the living, taking up involuntary battle positions. 

When the sound echoed throughout the silent room Kai looked to Tyson immediately. Every inch of Tyson’s body froze, and the hair on his spine stood on edge. 

Tyson didn’t move, Tala stared at him awkwardly, and Kai was looking too, although he tried not too. He saw Tyson’s face grow redder under the pressure.

“Tyson, want me to get the door?” 

Tyson nodded slowly. “Y-yes…”

Kai got up slowly as another knock echoed from the door. He barely had time to think before he made it there.

Kai slowly unlocked and opened the door and stood there awkwardly holding it open with one hand. 

Hiro was standing in front of the door with a larger familiar man behind him. They both carried carry on bags and what looked to be boxes or gifts of some sort.

“...Kai? Is that really… Wow I haven’t seen you in ages.”

Hiro looked into the house at Kai in disbelief. It suddenly occurred to Kai that Hiro probably never expected to see him ever again after the championships with BEGA. And yet here he was, standing in the house he wanted, wearing his brother’s clothes. 

“And it’s been even longer for me.” The man said behind Hiro, dropping his bags and pushing past him. 

Kai managed to catch a glimpse of Hiro giving a disgusted side glance to his father, but immediately dropped it and looked back to Kai with his original bewildered expression. 

Tyson’s father held out his hand to Kai, Kai accepted returning an almost overly formal handshake. 

“It’s nice to see you again Mr. Granger.” Kai addressed him formally. 

“Please, call me Tatsuya.”

Kai could feel butterflies in his stomach, and he didn’t know why, until he saw Tatsuya look him up and down, almost sizing him up. 

_Oh._

_You have no idea I’m dating your son, do you?_

“Oh-kay well Kai can we go into our house now?” Hiro said while glancing at Kai who seemed to be blocking the doorway.

Kai wanted to retort back saying it wasn’t their house, but he wasn’t the right situation, since it wasn’t his either. 

Kai held the door open as they walked in with their bags as if they owned the place. He closed the door behind them as they walked into the living room. He could feel Hiro’s irritation coming off him in waves. 

Kai never liked Hiro.

And Hiro never liked Kai. 

“Tyson?” 

Tyson’s dad raised his voice into the tiny room.

“Tala? What are you doing here?” Hiro said in a loud voice.

Tala stepped up from sitting on the couch.

“Oh you know, visiting, you?”

“Visiting.” Hiro replied smoothly, almost condescendingly. “I wasn’t expecting to see you again. Considering last time I saw you you were in the hospital and wouldn’t wake up, and then you ran away to Russia…” 

Hiro cut himself off when he looked to his side. Kai was standing close to him and stared him down. Kai narrowed his eyes, the tension between him and Hiro was so thick it was hard to breathe. 

The air around them changed as they heard Tyson’s voice in the room. He had just come from the kitchen.

“Hey guys! I was just making tea! You know what Grandpa used to say, whenever you have guests you have to make them tea!” 

Tyson dropped a tea platter on the coffee table, then angled himself towards his father who extended his arms and hugged Tyson.

“It’s great to finally see you!” Tatsuya exclaimed, and he actually did sound sad.

Tyson pulled away and Hiro did the same thing.

“It’s so nice to see you again little brother!” 

When Hiro pulled away Tyson became visibly awkward.

“You guys should all s-it!” Tyson gestured towards the couches. “You must have had a long flight!” Tyson fell down into the lounge chair and started pouring tea for everyone in older well worn teacups.

Tyson sat in the chair while Hiro and his father sat together, and Kai and Tala sat on the opposite couch. Kai could feel Hiro’s piercing stare.

The room got uncomfortably quiet as everyone picked up the tea and started to drink. Kai realized they had left all their bags by the entrance. 

_Rude._

“Hey Tyson.” Hiro started. 

“Yeah?” Tyson replied giving Hiro all the attention.

“How long have they been staying here?” Hiro flicked his head towards Kai and Tala. 

Kai didn’t move a muscle, instead continued to stare deep into Hiro’s eyes. Tala noticed and elbowed Kai’s shoulder.

“Ow! Tala?” Kai said under his breath in Tala’s direction, it broke his concentration, and he realized what he had been doing. 

“Um… Not that long… Why?” Tyson relied awkwardly. 

“How long exactly?” Hiro repeated himself, this time with a hint of temper. 

“A few months.” Tyson replied immediately.

_He’s afraid. He has no reason to be afraid. Don’t make Tyson afraid Hiro._

Kai kept making death threats in his mind while looking at Hiro, hoping he would get the point. 

“That’s a long time Tyson.” Hiro bent his head while looking at Kai; like he was looking down on him.

“Look at your brother while you’re talking to him.” Kai said before Tyson or anyone could speak up first.

“You have a problem with me looking at you?” Hiro’s voice turned into a low growl, a lot more like the old Hiro that would only show himself when he was alone with Kai.

“Yeah, when your attention should be on someone else.” Kai said while directing his gaze towards Tyson.

Tyson was looking at Tala, who were both sending off mental distress signals to one another. While Tatsuya looked over the room awkwardly, not understanding where all the tension was coming from. 

“Okay. Can I be the first person to ask: What is going on here?” Tyson’s father’s voice was loud and bellowed throughout the whole room.

“In case you were wondering father, Kai and I have never been fond of one another, ever since I met him during the third championships.” Hiro crossed his arms, giving off a confident smirk.

Kai scoffed and looked away from him. 

“What? Kai, you don’t want to admit it?” Hiro pushed the subject on purpose. 

“Admit what?” Kai spat back.

“Okay guys that's enough-” Tyson tried to barge in but his voice cracked and trailed off.

“That you don’t like me.” Hiro leaned his body forward

“Of course I don’t.” Kai bunched up his shoulders taking an offensive stance.

“Well, why not? We are pretty alike you know.”

Kai’s eye twitched at the comment.

“Well, I’m not an ass.” 

Tala grabbed the edge of Kai’s T-shirt, trying to hold him back. 

“Why am I an ass!?” 

“I never would have betrayed my younger brother when he needed me most during the most important tournament of his life.” 

There was a slight pause before a low growl rumbled in Hiro’s throat. 

“You know why I did that-”

“I know of no _good _reason-”__

____

____

Hiro stood up dramatically and shouted, “I did it to train better opponents for Tyson! To make him better! And you- At least- Somehow you’ve betrayed him more times than the sun sets and rises and somehow he still trusts you, hell you’re living with him! Why is that exactly?” 

“I don’t _steal _from him.”__

____

____

Kai stated it bluntly. 

Hiro advanced towards him, Tala still held Kai back.

“Okay! That’s enough!” Tatsuya said as he stood up and extended an arm in front of Hiro. “Hiro that’s enough. Kai is Tyson’s friend, treat him with respect.” 

“He doesn’t deserve-”

“I don’t want to hear it!” 

Hiro swallowed a hard lump in his throat. He stepped back and sat down.

Tyson exhaled a sigh of relief.

“Tyson!” His father turned to him and attempted to light up the mood, “We bought you souvenirs!” 

“Really?” Tyson’s face lit up with excitement. 

They brought forward the few boxes and bags they had brought. 

Tyson asked to open them, when he got permission he did excitedly. 

They ended up being generic Egyptian figurines and ornaments, apparently from their visit in Cairo.

Kai could read Tyson well and could see the minor disappointment in his face as he opened every gift one by one. 

_He wanted them to be the artifacts, didn’t he?_

They somehow managed to make idle conversation, mostly about Hiro and Tatsuya’s travels. 

It got later and later into the day, and then into the night. 

“Well what do you guys want to do for dinner?” Tyson’s father asked.

“We could order in?” Tyson suggested. “But everyone has to pay their share.” 

“Alright.” Hiro didn’t sound like he was agreeing exactly, but disappointed somehow. 

After dinner they were still sitting in the living room. Hiro and Tatsuya made no effort to clean up their mess or plates. Tala offered to clean up after everyone. Tyson told him he would but Tala insisted saying that it was the least he could do for letting him stay there. 

“So where are we sleeping?” Hiro pushed out of nowhere. 

“Oh you guys are staying the night?” Tyson said with a slight snarky tone. 

“Of course it’s _our _house.” Hiro rolled his eyes.__

____

____

Tyson stood completely still while a raging fire burned within him.

“No offense to any of you guys, but, I thought it was Tyson’s? Wasn’t the dojo and house handed down to him in your Grandpa’s will?” Tala brought up the uncomfortable subject on purpose, but Tyson looked at him with a panicked expression as if it wasn’t a good idea.

Everyone was surprised when Tatsuya spoke up.

“The Dojo is in Tyson’s name. But I grew up here before him, and Hiro grew up here too. This is our home, even if it’s not legally ours.” 

Tyson shifted in his seat. He knew the truth, and if everything was okay with his father and brother’s relationship he would be more than okay with sharing their home. But he could still not trust them, and it made it hard to share his home with them. 

“So where are we sleeping?” Tatsuya repeated Hiro, but more impatient. 

Kai wanted to speak up so bad, but he held his tongue. He didn’t want to start anything with Hiro tonight. 

“Well I’m using the room downstairs, I would let you guys use it but it has all my belongings in it and is kind of dirty…” Tala said uneasily. 

“So that leaves the spare room upstairs, the living room, or the dojo.” Hiro said. 

“But isn’t Kai using the spare room upstairs?” 

Tyson’s father asked the simple question, and Tyson’s spine went on edge. He didn’t know if he should tell him or lie. 

“I- er- Yeah. He is using it…” Tyson looked to Kai to see his reaction.

Kai was stoic, he knew it wasn’t a good idea for Tyson to talk about their relationship now, Kai wouldn’t be offended for hiding it. 

“So we will stay in the living room then.” Hiro decided on his own.

“I can bring out cots, blankets, and pillows for you guys.” Tyson nodded. 

When it was time to sleep everyone went to their rooms. Kai followed Tyson upstairs to ‘his room’ but when no one was looking, he followed Tyson into his. 

Kai closed the door behind him and stretched. 

Tyson had a box in his hand and started to pull out the souvenirs and rearranging them on the dresser to make them look nice.

“You’re really keeping them?” Kai had a rude edge to his voice.

“Well… Yeah. I think it was nice of them.” Tyson finished setting up the souvenirs and stepped away. He opened the door to the bathroom and started to wash his face while still talking to Kai through the half closed door. 

“Hey Kai? You really don’t like my brother do you.”

Kai was looking at some of the figurines and picked a few of them up.

“No, I don’t, never really did. I hope you don’t mind.” Kai picked up an ornament and flipped it over.

On the bottom of the ornament was a price tag: 500 yen. 

“Well why don't you like him? His first impression during our third tournament and when he was our coach he couldn’t have been that bad.”

The souvenir was obviously picked up from the airport before they came to Tyson’s house. Kai ripped off the price tag and shoved it in his pocket. He put the ornament back and laid it to rest.

“Well… His first impression was okay. Except the fact that he made you emotional in front of all those people and all your fans. The first thing that crossed my mind was… Well I didn’t understand how he left for all those years, and when he came back he was in disguise? It just seemed weird to me. Like he was playing a game, or testing out your abilities. He was always more of a coach than a bother.” 

Tyson walked out of the bathroom rubbing a cloth on his neck. “You really think so?”

“Yeah.” Kai sat on the bed behind him, “That’s why I never liked him from the beginning. Someone that important to you… Treating you the way he did. I was angry. In my mind I feel like… I might have been angry because I thought… Someone that important to Tyson… I want to be that person. But he fucked it up. If I was something to you I would do a much better job. I guess that’s why… I never really thought about it before.” 

“Really Kai?” Tyson’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I guess?” 

“So you were jealous?” 

“No I didn’t say that-”

“Jealous of my brother!?” 

“Don’t raise your voice! They’re downstairs!” 

Tyson waltzed forward and climbed up on the bed kneeling beside Kai. He kissed his cheek.

“Don’t worry Kai. You have already done a much better job in caring for me.”

Kai held Tyson’s neck with his hand. He leaned forward so their faces were together and laughed. 

“God, what did I do to deserve you?”

“What did you say Kai?” Tyson said in a hushed voice.

“N-nothing” 

“Well it sure sounded like ‘what did I ever do to deserve you’ so I was just wondering…”

“Oh my god.” Kai’s face grew into a big smile and he pushed himself forward and kissed Tyson.

Tyson kissed back and grabbed his waist, Kai pulled away.

“No Tyson, we can’t do anything like that while they’re here.” 

“Kai we’re not going to have sex or anything maybe just make out a little…”

“It still feels wrong, plus we know what our makeouts lead to.” 

“You make a good point…” Tyson leaned back and sat down with a hard thump looking disappointed. 

“Don’t worry Tyson after they’re gone we will do tons of things.” 

“Mmm… Good.” Tyson looks down to realize he still had the cloth in his hand. 

“You still have that?” Kai pointed to the cloth.

“Yeah…” Tyson suddenly bolted forward and started to rub Kai’s cheek.

Kai fell backwards startled, “Tyson what are you!?”

“You have had something on your face for awhile, it’s been bugging me…” 

“What? Really what is it?” Kai started to pat his face with his fingers trying to find the problem.

“It’s your cute face, stupid.” Tyson giggled and and sat on top of Kai. He bent down and kissed him again, and again, and again. 

“Tyson what did I just say-”

“It’s not hurting anyone…” Tyson tried to mumble through a mouthful of tongue. 

It started to get spicy as Kai pulled himself up and held Tyson’s hips and kept tracing the edge of his boxers, just to tease. 

Kai wrapped his arms around Tyson and tried to keep kissing him as he arched his back to try to get to Tyson easier.

“Tyson you’re too tall…. Sitting on top of me- It’s making it hard to kis-”

Tyson had grabbed Kai’s cheeks and kept kissing him over and over again. 

“I kind of like being overtop of you like this…” Tyson’s voice trailed off as he continued kissing him again. 

Kai heard a noise and assumed it was either Tyson rearranging himself on the bed, or the kittens sleeping away in the corner of the room. 

The door to Tyson’s room was thrown open.

“Tyson do you know where the remote is- Oh.”

As soon as they saw Hiro, Kai pulled away from Tyson to stare him down, Tyson’s lips dragged across Kai’s cheek as he stayed in the same position, motionless. 

“Hiro!” Tyson’s voice cracked and hushed itself as he pushed himself off Kai.

Hiro’s head nodded in a slow rhythm. “I get it now. I see what’s happening.” He started to grin, not out of happiness. Hiro looked straight into Kai’s eyes with a broken smile.

Kai slowly pushed himself off the bed and stood in a standing position in front of Hiro. 

“So Kai? You get angry at me for betraying my brother, then you do it, then you run away to Russia, come back with your red-headed boyfriend, and seduce my brother!? Seems like a bit of a double standard to me.” Hiro’s face crunched up into a scowl. 

“First of all, Tala is not, and has never been, romantically involved with me-”

“What about physically? Look, Kai, I know a whore when I see one-”

“ _Don’t _call Tala that.”__

____

____

Tyson shook his head and broke himself out of his senses. He leaped forward and grabbed Kai’s arm to hold him back. 

“Tyson, don’t touch him. He doesn’t deserve you.”

“You can’t tell me that Hiro, it’s none of your business-”

“He betrayed you countless times!? How do you trust him?”

“Kai has come a long way, and like I said, it is none of your business.” 

“When were you planning to tell dad about this!? Or me!?” 

“When the time was right! And that time wasn’t now.” 

“So when? In a few years? How long have you been dating for? Have you always loved him!?” 

“We’ve only been dating a few months- And I’ve loved him for a long time now-”

“Tyson don’t say that it’s disgusting-”

“What’s disgusting Hiro?” 

“You being with him. What else do I not know? Does Tala come upstairs sometimes and join in on these ‘sessions’? What would your Grandpa think?”

Kai took a step forward, but Tyson held him back with force.

“No, Tyson! Let him go, Come at me Kai! I’ll take you, and I’ll make sure you will never come back into this house ever again-”

“That would be unwise.” A voice said from the doorway. 

Everyone looked to the entrance where Tala was leaning against the wall in his pajamas.

“You guys are making a racket. Tyson your father is a heavy sleeper, I have no idea how he’s sleeping through this.” 

Tala stepped forward and stood beside Hiro. 

“If you seriously wanted to get into a fight with Kai, he would fucking _destroy _you.”__

____

____

There was a small flare of panic wash over Hiro’s face.

“Hiro you can think whatever you want about Kai, or me, or their relationship. But be aware that more people stand behind them than against them right now. I think you should go back to bed and think about what you’ve said. They obviously need each other right now. Let them be.” 

Hiro scowled and flexed his fingers and formed fists. He clicked his tongue and turned around and left the room in a rage. 

Tyson could feel Kai’s muscles relax under his fingers. Tyson gently let go of Kai. 

“Kai you have to be more careful around Hiro, don’t let him rile you up so much.” Tala gently closed the door but stayed in the room.

“He just-”

“He tries to make you angry I know. But you can’t give in to him. What he wants is a physical fight so he has an excuse to throw you out. You hurt him more with words, and that drives him nuts. You’re as smart as him, if not smarter, and the fact that he can’t win with words drives him insane, you can win, just without fighting.” 

Kai sighed and looked to the floor.

“It’s okay Kai.” Tyson wrapped his arms around Kai. “I don’t care what he says.” 

Kai looked to Tyson and they both gave each other smiles.

“Aww you guys…” Tala crossed his arms and gave off a happy sleepy expression. 

“Although he is right…” Kai started.

“Don’t give in to him Kai.” Tyson pleaded.

The words felt like thick black tar coming up Kai’s throat. “I did betray you a lot…” 

“Why… Did you do that?” Tala tilted his head in confusion.

Tyson let himself slide off Kai, but Kai grabbed his hand and held it tightly before he could go too far. 

Kai didn’t look at Tyson, he continued to address Tala. 

“People do… Weird things when they don’t understand their feelings.” He grinned awkwardly and titled his head, letting the stiff emotion slip off his face.

“Well… What did you think you were doing?”

“Didn’t you hear my speech to Tyson during our last battle?” 

“Not really, it was mostly to Tyson and it wasn’t really broadcasted…”

“And even I only caught little bits Kai. It was mostly in your head, and our battle was kind of chaotic…” Tyson pointed out awkwardly as his hand got sweaty while Kai held it extra tightly. 

“Well… I just said it was all for Tyson. Since the beginning, since the start. I never understood why I admired you so much, I decided it was because I wanted to defeat you, to be the best, the only logical explanation was that I was jealous of you.”

Tala chuckled.

“Of course I didn’t really understood how I felt till highschool, and I discovered what I felt for you was not extreme friendship, or admiration, or even hate, but… A kind of love.” 

Tala looked so happy, he grinned and tried to stop himself from laughing.

“Kai, stop it. Look at what you’re doing to your boyfriend!”

Kai turned his head as fast as possible to look at Tyson. He was covering his face with his other hand and had teary eyes. 

“Tyson, I’m sorry I didn’t want to make you cry!” 

“It’s okay Kai these are happy tears! I’m just so happy you think that way…”

Kai let go of his hand and Tyson used it to cover his face again. 

“Sorry…” Kai pulled Tyson into his chest and hugged him.

“Okay well while you guys are doing that I’m going back to bed. I’ll try to keep an eye on Hiro and Tatsuya if I can.”

“Thanks Tala.” Kai thanked him as he turned around and left the room, opening the door as quietly as possible and shutting it behind him.

“Sorry my brother’s such a dick…” Tyson mumbled into Kai’s chest.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve had to deal with a lot of shitty people, I’m certain he won’t be the last, and he’s not too bad…”

“Naw he’s pretty bad…” Tyson laughed into Kai’s shirt.

“Don’t worry about it Tyson… I can deal with him."


	40. Chapter 40: Family Ties

They eventually curled up together. They cuddled and slept the night away. They awoke to the kittens meowing and climbing the blankets of the bed and bathing their faces with soft paws. 

“Mmm… Tyson I guess I’ll feed them…” Kai got up and sat on the edge of the bed groggily. He rubbed his eyes and breathed out. He still felt exhausted, kind of like he got hit by a truck, and a little hungover. Last night took more of a toll on him than he though. 

Kai felt a warm stroke on his back. 

“Morning sleepyhead…” Tyson said in a sleepy voice. “Kitten feeding time already?” 

“Yeah we slept in. We’re late on their feeding.” 

They ended up carrying the kittens downstairs. It was easier to feed them in the kitchen where they made and heated up the milk anyways. 

As soon as they made it down the stairs Kai saw Hiro and Tatsuya on the couch watching TV. Tyson greeted them with a ‘good morning!’. Kai didn’t say anything, but Hiro saw him when he turned around. 

“Where did you get those cats from? Are they breakfast?” Hiro laughed as if he was making an actual joke.

Kai held Draco and Ash closer to him. “Not funny.” 

“This is Nika!” Tyson said toward Hiro while holding her in the air. He pointed to Kai, “And that is Draco, and the black one is Ash! We rescued them from the side of the road.” 

“There’s my little honeybuns!” Tala bursted from around the corner as soon as he heard the mewing and grabbed Nika away from Tyson. He had grown very fond of Nika during the past few weeks. 

“Did you just call them honeybuns Tala?” Tyson laughed. 

“Don’t make fun of me…” Tala said while rubbing his face against Nika’s. 

Kai left the room in silence to make the kitten’s breakfast. He wandered into the kitchen and plopped Draco and Ash on the floor and started to work around them, boiling water and mixing the powder into bottles. 

They pawed and mewed at his feet as he casually continued his daily routine. 

“Look Kai, I’m sorry about what I said.” 

Kai had prepared the bottles and turned to look at Hiro who must have snuck away from the living room. 

Kai lifted up Draco who was bigger and hungrier than Ash, like always. 

“Don’t worry about it. Kittens can’t really be breakfast, they’re too stringy, I knew it was a joke, I just didn’t appreciate it.” Kai put the bottle against Draco’s mouth who started to latch immediately. 

“That’s not what I was talking about…” Hiro shuffled his feet awkwardly. “I don’t like you Kai, but I apologize for the out of line things I said last night about Tyson and Tala.”

“But nothing you said about me?” 

“Nope, I don’t apologize for any of that.” 

“Alright…” Kai tried to say it with the least amount of attitude possible. He didn’t want to start anything with Hiro right when he was finally apologizing. 

Ash was starting to claw impatiently at Kai’s leg. Hiro stepped forward and pointed to him.

“Do you want me to feed him? His name is Ash right?” 

Kai narrowed his eyes. “I can do it…”

Hiro had grabbed the bottle and picked up Ash. “Just like this right?” Hiro mimicked Kai’s movements and posture and started to feed Ash with no problems. 

“He is kind of cute… I would never eat you. No matter how hungry I was!” Hiro cuddled Ash while feeding him, Ash latched onto the bottle and sucked like crazy.

Kai realised the change in Hiro right away. For the first time since he stepped into the house he let his guard down. He finally let his gentle caring side out, the side that Kai recognized as his brotherly side, the one he should be showing around Tyson. 

“We will have to start with dry food and more training soon…” Kai said to himself but outloud so the silence didn’t seem so awkward. 

“Makes sense…” Hiro talked as if he knew what he was talking about. 

Kai shrugged it off. 

“I don’t care what you say about me Hiro. But as soon as you insult people around me who are important to me… I won’t tolerate that. And don’t push me. I told you many years ago to stay out of my business, and not to ruin my plans, that still applies.” 

“Okay tough guy.” Hiro said sarcastically as Ash finished the bottle. He put him back on the ground when he was done and put the empty bottle back on the counter. 

Draco was finished too and Kai did the same things, but he grabbed the last bottle for Nika who was still in the livingroom, no doubt being coddled by everyone. 

Kai walked out of the kitchen without saying anything. Hiro followed behind him after waiting a little while. 

“Here Tyson.” Kai leaned over the couch and handed Tyson the bottle. He was sitting on the couch with Tala and his father petting Nika and playing with her. Tyson thanked Kai and started to feed her right away. 

“These kittens are nice, where did you guys get them again?” Tyson’s father looked to Tyson, but also addressed Kai. 

“We rescued them. We found them on the side of the road while on a roadtrip.” Kai said while leaning his arms on the couch near to Tyson and Nika.

Tyson gestured to Tala. Tala graciously accepted and grabbed Nika away to feed her. 

“That sounds nice. And I’m proud of you guys for saving them.” Tatsuya sat on the couch with one leg curled in. He seemed to be overly comfortable. 

There was a weaker knock on the door. 

“That’s odd…” Tyson said looking at the door. “Who could it be?” 

“I’ll get it.” Kai offered since he was closest. 

Kai unlocked and opened the front door. 

Two old men came barging in. 

“Mr. Dickenson!? Grandfather!?” Kai exclaimed, embarrassed and confused. 

“Kai! It’s so good to see you!” Mr. Dickenson held out his arms and Kai gave him a weak confused hug. 

“It’s good to see you too, Mr. D!? What are you guys doing here!?” 

“Well I heard that Mr. Granger and Hiro were visiting so we decided to stop by…” Mr. Dickenson looked around the room. “Although I mostly came to see Hiro again…” 

Hiro walked around from the corner with stiff joints. Kai noticed the panicked expression on his face.

“Hiro. It’s been so long.” Mr. Dickenson had an expression no one in the room had ever seen before. 

Kai turned to glance at Tyson. They both knew what was up. Mr. Dickenson hadn’t seen Hiro since he was still with the BBA. They understood why Mr. Dickenson was sour, since Hiro betrayed him to join the evil group that had bought out his company, BEGA. 

“Hello Mr. Dickenson.” Hiro addressed him formally. He outstretched his hand, Mr. Dickenson took it and shook it slowly.

Mr. Dickenson walked with Hiro further into the living room, he reintroduced himself to Tatsuya, Tyson, and Tala gave him a strong thankful hug and they started idle conversation. Kai was still in the doorway with his Grandfather.

“So why are you here Grandfather?” Kai turned to Voltaire quizzically. 

“I hadn’t seen you in a long time. When Mr. Dickenson explained the situation to me I agreed to come join him.” 

Voltaire awkwardly leaned closer to Kai and whispered to him, “does Tatsuya or Hiro know about you and Tyson?” 

Kai’s spine tingled. He knew it was already an awkward situation, but it suddenly dawned on him how serious it was; if his Grandfather cared, it had to be serious. 

“I think Hiro knows. But he’s not happy about it. Tyson’s father… I don’t think so. Wait… Does Mr. Dickenson know?” 

“Of course. I told him.” 

It surprised Kai that his Grandfather would tell Mr. Dickenson such an uncomfortable secret, what was more odd was that Kai had no idea they talked to each other at all, let alone knew each other. 

“You.. Guys talk?” Kai rubbed his head awkwardly, it was too early in the morning for this. 

“Of course Kai. When you were under his wing during the championships many years ago I didn’t just let you run off unsupervised. We grew a strong connection… Especially considering his connection to Boris… But that’s something for another day.” Voltaire gave Kai an awkward grin, his face muscles weren’t used to the expression. 

Kai crossed his arms as he tried to gather all the new information. It was crowded in the living room, as soon as Kai noticed his heart started to beat faster. 

“You go into the living room, I’ll go make tea for everyone so Tyson doesn’t have to.” 

Voltaire nodded and walked into the living room while Kai turned to the kitchen. 

He filled the kettle and turned it on. He held on to the edge of the counter and stretched, he looked down to the floor and took a deep breath in, and out. 

_What the hell is happening? This feels like a bad dream. At least Tyson knows how to handle himself out there… I hear him laughing from here._

He set up Grandpa's old tea set the way Tyson liked it. He gathered himself and filled the teapot, then carried the tray out. 

Tatsuya was sitting on the couch but directed his body towards Voltaire who was sitting on a separate chair next to him. He seemed to be really engaged in talking to Voltaire for whatever reason. Hiro was sitting on the couch next to Tyson and Tatsuya, while Tala sat on the opposite couch with Mr. Dickenson. 

Kai placed the platter on the coffee table, Tyson thanked him and reached to start pouring the tea, but was interrupted by Tatsuya who reached forward before Tyson. Tyson recoiled back. Kai noticed but knew he couldn’t do anything about it in this situation, he then realized there was no room for him on the furniture, so he took a seat on the floor beside the coffee table. 

“Kai I won’t let you be the only one on the floor!” Tyson said while getting up and letting himself plop down beside Kai.

“You don’t have to, Tyson!” Kai insisted but was actually thankful. 

“Nope, no complaining!” Tyson looked at him and grinned. 

Kai felt overwhelmingly relieved with Tyson beside him, and even though they couldn’t do anything that would make them seem too close, Kai was just happy with him being there. 

Tatsuya started to pour tea, first for Kai’s Grandfather. 

“It’s only kind for me to pour guests tea in my own house.” Tatsuya said while pouring Voltaire’s drink, and then his own, then everyone else’s in a circle. 

When he got to Mr. Dickenson, he spoke up. 

“According to Japanese tradition, the owner of the house should pour guests tea!” He addressed everyone in the room, but it was obvious that the attention was on Tatsuya. “I think Tyson should pour the tea.” 

Tatsuya’s nose twitched as he finished pouring everyone’s tea. “Well it’s already too late Mr. Dickenson.” 

The TV was on mute behind Kai and Tyson. Any awkward moments of silence could be covered by paying attention to the TV; and that's exactly what happened. 

“The news has been pretty grim lately hasn’t it?” Mr. Dickenson said aloud. 

“You should have seen the news in Europe…” Tatsuya mumbled. 

“And America is in a bit of a disaster isn’t it?” Hiro said, trying desperately to join the big kid league again. 

“Oh yes, it’s been more of a pain to get any connections with the BBA and the PPB…” Mr. Dickenson added in on the idle conversation.

“You have connections with Judy’s company?” Hiro said with interest.

“The BBA has changed a lot since you left us Hiro. We’ve taken students and professionals into mind and calculation to build what the players want. So yes, the BBA has connections with many companies now.”

“Even the Hiwatari company helps with parts and design.” Voltaire put his two cents in proudly, while sneaking a side glance at Kai. 

“Wow, those must be some high quality parts then…” Hiro said in awe, even he knew the outstanding quality and make of any Hiwatari company product.

“First of all the American government gets shut down, then they have this marriage issue…” Tatsuya said while watching the TV. 

“Oh Yes! Gay marriage is legal there in all states! Which is great!” Mr. Dickenson clapped his hands together with glee.

“Is it?” Tatsuya said dumbfoundedly. 

Kai suddenly realized something. He looked over to Tyson. 

_Does he not even know you’re gay!?_

“Well of course Mr. Granger! That means people like your son can get married-”

“Mr. Dickenson!” Tyson jumped forward not knowing how to stop it from happening. 

Tatsuya pointed to Hiro, “He’s more into girls you know-” He looked to Tyson and saw how red his face was, and how much of a panic he was in. “Oh…” Tyson’s father slowly lowered his hand. 

Mr. Dickenson’s face was red with embarrassment; he looked to Tyson giving the most apologetic stare he could. 

“Really Tyson?” Tatsuya looked like he got hit by a truck. 

“Y-yes…” Tyson was breaking out into a cool sweat. 

“How long have you known?” 

“Many years now- Since high school…” 

Tatsuya continued to look at his son, he leaned back into the couch and let out a long sigh. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I- I didn’t know how you would react.”

“Who else knows?” 

Tyson breathed in and out while thinking about it. Then he let out a deep sigh, “everyone.” 

Tyson’s father put his hand to his face, he leaned on it for support. 

“I’m sorry you couldn’t confide in me, Tyson.” 

“I- I’m sorry too… I don’t know why I didn’t tell you I guess it just didn’t seem important compared to everything else…” 

“Did Grandpa know?” Tatsuya asked with a sharp attitude. 

“Uh… Yeah, he was the first person I told. I remember.” Tyson was kneeling, he clenched his fists on his leg and pulled at his pants. 

“I remember him telling me on the phone… That you liked someone, but I would never guess who. Was it a boy?” 

“Y-yes.” Tyson looked down to the ground.

“Okay, dad, you can stop interrogating Tyson whenever you feel like it.” Hiro patted their father’s shoulder.

“Tyson I tried to guess that person for ages, I was convinced it was Hilary-”

“Holy shit.” Kai accidently said it out loud before he started breaking down laughing, Tala joined it, even Hiro, and Mr. Dickenson started to laugh. 

Tyson was giggling uncomfortably, but it still lightened up the mood. “No never! Dad that’s so funny… Never ever, nope, not even if she was a boy! Holy christ that’s so funny…” 

Even Tatsuya had a brighter expression as the tension was lifted from the room. “Ha, I get it, so not her, or any other girl, so who was it?” 

“I can’t tell you that…” Tyson smiled while looking at him. 

“Do you still like them?” His father asked more intrigued than interrogating him, now it felt more like bonding. 

“Yes, actually!” Tyson took an awkward sip of his cold tea.

“Are you dating them?” Hiro broke in coldly, making the mood sour. 

Tyson coughed as he was swallowing.

“Are you!?” Tatsuya asked curiously, with a slight grin on his face; even through all the confusion, and tension, and anger, he still felt happy for Tyson. It was like a curtain was opened, they could all see everything laid out on the table. 

“Of course he is!” it surprised everyone when Tala broke into the conversation. “He wouldn’t be so happy if he wasn’t.” 

“So let him tell us then!” it was obvious that Hiro was pretending to be excited as soon as his voice twisted to a lower pitch, “unless he’s ashamed of him.” Hiro fixed his eyes deep into Kai’s for only a second, but his stare lagged in Kai’s mind. 

Voltaire picked up on the tension before anyone else did. “Why would Tyson be ashamed of him Hiro?” He said coolly in Hiro’s direction, without any change in his facial expression.

Tatsuya immediately grabbed Hiro’s shirt on the arm where Voltaire couldn’t see with wide eyes.

_Oh I get it._

Kai suddenly understood why Tatsuya was being so kind to his Grandfather.

_You don’t want to offend the most powerful man here._

Tatsuya slowly let go and focused his attention back on Tyson. “So who is it then?” 

Tyson stayed silent, he had no idea what to say. 

Mr. Dickenson tapped the edge of the coffee table. “Well it is fairly obvious… I’m sure we can all agree… Why don’t you try to guess Mr. Granger?” 

“I honestly have no clue…”

“Oh my god…” Tala covered his face with his hand.

“No... Tala!?” Tatsuya sat upright. 

“No, no! Definitely not!” Tala shouted with his hands waving in front of him. 

“Alright so who… Is it someone I know?” 

“Yes!” Tala, Tyson, Mr. Dickenson, and Hiro said in unison. 

“Has Tyson known them for a long time?” 

“Yes!” 

“Are they… In this room right now?” 

“Yes!”

Tatsuya’s eyes landed on Kai, the only one who hadn’t said anything throughout the whole conversation, and one of the most least likely people that he thought Tyson would fall for. 

Kai was twiddling his thumbs, an odd anxious twitch that he had never done before. 

“Kai?” Tatsuya addressed him formally. 

“Yes!?” Kai tried to sound oblivious, but his voice rose to a higher pitch.

“Is it you?”

All the attention in the room was on Kai. His whole body started to heat up. He didn’t know what to say or how to act. He was constantly staring at the floor awkwardly.

Kai took a sharp breath in and held it as he looked up at Tatsuya.

“Yes… I am dating your son.”

Tyson’s father simply stared down at Kai. He was completely bewildered. 

“I would have never guessed!”

“Really? Did you even watch their final tournament battle!?” Mr. Dickenson said dumbfoundedly, as if it was obvious. 

“I didn’t actually get the chance to watch it…” Tatsuya admitted glumly. 

Mr. Dickenson turned to Voltaire, “Did you watch it?” 

“I did not get the chance.” Voltaire crossed his arms and gave off the impression that he had better things to do. 

“Well you guys should go watch it. It’s on the BBA records. It’s obvious how much they liked each other then.” 

“Is it really… That obvious?” Kai asked awkwardly. 

“It’s pretty fucking obvious.” Tala nodded. 

“Tala! Watch your language!” Mr. Dickenson scolded him, but in a loving way.

“Sorry Mr. D…” 

Tatsuya looked around the room at his sons, and their friends, he let his gaze fall to the fireplace, where the shrine to Grandpa still hung about. Tyson noticed him staring. He noticed it was the first time his father had looked to the shrine ever. He wanted to say something about it, but he didn’t dare break his father’s concentration. 

“Do you miss him?” 

Everyone looked blankly around the room, wondering where that caring voice came from. Tatsuya looked over to Voltaire. 

“Of course I miss him! He was my father. But I still don’t understand how Tyson trusted him enough to tell him before me…” 

Voltaire shrugged, “that’s all Tyson. Maybe he was just more comfortable around him, maybe Ryu asked him specifically, but we will never know, some things should stay unwritten.”

“Did you ever get the chance to meet my father before he passed?” Tatsuya knitted his eyebrow. 

“Yes, I did. Right here actually. We had tea out of this very teapot. During Kai’s high school years. We sat down to discuss them.”

“Wait. You’ve never had a problem with this?” Tatsuya pointed to the boys giving off a mildly disgusted expression, it made Tyson’s heart drop. 

“No, I did, I definitely did. But things have changed. I have realized that they need each other, and even someone like myself couldn’t get in their way.”

Tatsuya nodded slowly while tuning himself out briefly. 

“Regardless of any of that. I liked the man, he was a little bit… Insane... But he was a good man. He legitimately cared about everyone. The amount he cared for and protected his family to the end was extremely admirable. It is a trait I always wished I had.” 

Mr. Dickenson shuffled in his seat. “We visited each other on multiple occasions, we did quite a bit of fishing! He was a master of lures… I liked Ryu too, he was pure of heart, probably one of the purest men I’ve had the pleasure of knowing.” 

“If you could Mr. Granger…” Voltaire started his question awkwardly, looking into his empty teacup, “would you want him back?” 

The whole room seemed to ring with an immediate tension. 

“You guys never knew him like I did growing up.” Tatsuya started darkly. “He was a completely different man when he was younger. Of course I want him back, he’s my father, even if he went a bit nutty in his old age. But if I was to bring anyone back, it wouldn’t be my father. It would be my wife before anyone else.” 

Kai felt something drag on his leg. It was Tyson’s hand. No one could see below their waists from behind the table. Kai reached out to him and placed his hand carefully overtop of Tyson’s. He knew how he felt, he had never heard much about his mother, especially from his father, he didn’t know if he was prepared for this information. 

“Is that Hiro and Tyson’s mother? I have never heard much about her…” Mr. Dickenson said slowly easing into the conversation. 

“Yes, her name was Yoshie, and she was everything to me. She died too young, Tyson, I’m sorry you never got to know her.” 

Tyson squeezed Kai’s hand harder, “It’s okay Dad…” 

Tatsuya was starting to get emotional. “All you guys want my father back but you don’t understand… None of you know the pain of losing a loved one… Well a loved one like a wife. It’s hard, it’s the hardest thing in the world. I’m sorry I don’t share your desire for wanting Grandpa back but… There are others I want back before him- None of you understand- None of you!” 

Tatsuya had changed his sadness to anger. 

The room was quiet, it was because he was right. Everyone looked down to the floor in shame.

Except one person.

“Don’t assume you’re the only one Tatsuya.” 

Everyone looked to Voltaire in surprise, not only because he spoke up, but because he addressed Tatsuya informally. 

“I lost my wife too, a long long time ago, I went through the same thing you did. I handled the situation completely different of course, and not well. Never assume you're the only one who has faced an injustice.”

The room was dead quiet. You could hear everyone’s individual breathing. Voltaire was still, but you could tell he had ragged breathing. 

“I’m sorry Voltaire…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Voltaire clicked his tongue and looked away.

“I had no idea…” Kai started to say while all the attention was placed on him again. “You… Actually loved her?” 

“I did. It was not an arranged marriage like everyone though Kai. I married her because I loved her.” 

Voltaire didn’t break eye contact, he swallowed a hard lump in his throat, it was painfully obvious that it was not a comfortable topic for him. 

“Do you mind if I ask… How she died?” Kai asked curiously. 

Voltaire closed his eyes and took a deep breath in and out. He opened his eyes and looked at Kai. 

“She was killed. It’s not something I like to talk about.”

“I’m sorry Voltaire I had no idea.” Mr. Dickenson turned to Voltaire and tried to comfort him somehow. 

Kai now held Tyson’s hand looking for comfort instead of the other way around. He had no idea about his Grandmother, he never even thought about it before. 

“How did it happen Voltaire? Forgive me for asking… But Kai should know, if not now sometime…” Mr. Dickenson explained while having his hand sit on the edge of the chair Voltaire was sitting on. 

“We were walking around town looking around when she walked across the street… I turned around just in time to see it. Like I said, it’s not something I like to talk about.” 

Tyson held Kai’s hand with enough force to comfort him. Slowly, overtime, Kai’s Grandfather continued to say things that would change his view of him. 

“I’m sorry Grandfather.” Kai said in a comforting voice. 

Voltaire gave off his second awkward grin of the night. It made him feel worth something when Kai felt connected and actually cared about him. 

It took time but the tension finally rose from the room after they all made idle conversation again. It was a stressful morning, and Tyson agreed to make an early dinner. Kai offered to help, Tyson took the offer but knew it was only because Kai wanted to get out of the living room, like Tyson would let him help anyway. 

Tyson pulled out a pan and started to grease it while Kai leaned on the edge of the counter, he let his head fall backwards as he closed his eyes and exhaled. 

“Tired, Kai?” Tyson placed the pan on the stove and turned on the heat. 

“Well the past few hours have been exhausting.” 

“You can say that again…” Tyson mumbled. I came out to my father and we came out together it was- extremely stressful!” Tyson scratched his head while looking at Kai. 

Kai looked back at Tyson and nodded. 

“But I’m still glad we did it.” Tyson grinned.

“Yeah… Me too.” Kai reached forward and dragged the tips of his fingers on Tyson’s chin. 

“Haha Kai stop! I’m trying to cook!” 

“Tyson keep your voice down! Everyone's in the living room they will hear and think we’re doing something bad…” 

“I wish…” Tyson leaped forward and let his hands lay on Kai’s chest as he gave him one short kiss and pushed himself away. 

“I know you do Tyson. But not for a while. I have a weird feeling we’re not going to be alone for a long time…” Kai looked discouraged. 

“Don’t worry Kai we will get there, just promise me you will want to do lots of different things next time…” 

“Oh trust me if you leave me for too long I will want to do everything.” 

Tysons body shivered excitedly at the thought. 

“Alright Kai! Let’s finish dinner!” Tyson tried to break himself out of the situation so he wouldn’t get overly excited.

“Alright what do you want me to do?” 

“Cut these veggies up!” 

Everyone had been well behaved over dinner. Even Kai’s Grandfather ate Tyson’s massive amount of food. Tyson’s creations proved to be delicious as everyone devoured them and managed to make small talk. 

It surprised Kai that everyone seemed to be having a good time, considering they had stayed over for so long. Mr. Dickenson seemed happy to see everyone again. Tyson’s father seemed to be having a good time being with his sons. Even Voltaire sat back and watched the conversations with intrigue. Tyson, Tala, and Kai just enjoyed the atmosphere. 

_Hiro however…_

They were all sitting back in their living room seats. Kai watched Hiro from across the room. He seemed agitated, he had this whole time. He was having a hard time including himself in on conversations without being secluded into the ‘kids’ group, or trying desperately to crawl into the adult group with the older men. 

Kai remembered when Hiro coached them during the third BBA championships. He acted like he was so much older and wiser than Tyson. He would always be around Mr. Dickenson, or coaching everyone in such a know-it-all manner. It drove Kai nuts, and it was one of the reasons Kai was glad he didn’t stay on a tag team with Tyson; as well as one of the reasons he hated being on the BEGA team, dealing with Hiro always overtop of him was unbearable. 

Watching him struggle to be back in the group with the men he had betrayed before was strangely funny and fulfilling for Kai. 

Of course Mr. Dickenson would 'unintentionally' kick Hiro out of conversation topics. Kai grinned every time it would happen. 

Then randomly out of nowhere, in the middle of conversation Hiro stood up, announced he had to leave and left the room towards the kitchen. 

“What’s his damage?” Tala whispered to Kai. 

Tyson got up off the floor with Kai, “I’m going to go check on him.” Tyson left to follow his brother’s footsteps. 

Everyone else seemed to ignore the conflict and continued talking. 

Tyson’s father seemed to be entranced in Mr. Dickenson’s and Voltaire's conversations. He was just so interested, regardless of what they were talking about; and he seemed to be a whole lot nicer to Kai too.

Minutes went by, Kai was starting to get anxious himself. He got up.

“I’m going to go check on Tyson and see if he’s okay.” 

Tatsuya had an over exaggerated smile on his face, “you care for him so much!” 

“Y-yeah…” Kai mumbled awkwardly as he left the room. 

He followed Tyson’s steps out to the walkway outside the kitchen overlooking the pond. It was a clear crisp night, it was very warm. Kai slid the rice paper door closed behind him. 

There was someone sitting on the edge of the walkway looking over the pond, it was Hiro, Tyson was nowhere to be found.

“Do you know where Tyson is?” Kai asked Hiro in an accidental demanding voice.

“No idea, but he’s probably looking for you.” Hiro snarled but didn’t look in Kai’s direction.

“No I’m looking for him-”

“God you’re so _dense _.” Hiro rolled his eyes.__

____

____

Kai couldn't hold it back anymore, a burning rage bubbled in his stomach and rose to his throat. 

“Okay Hiro, what the hell is your problem with me!?” 

“My problem!? I’ve always had a problem with you-” Hiro pushed himself off the ground with force so he was eye level with Kai. 

“So what the hell is it!?” Kai rose his voice higher than he ever had with Hiro.

“I’m older than you, and smarter than you, overall I have always been better than you, and you act like you’re higher up the ladder than me! And you know why everyone’s being so nice to you? Even though you were such an asshole before, Kai? Do you want to know!?” 

“Is it justified? Or just something you made up in your head to make yourself feel better!-” 

“I would already have beat the shit out of you if my father hadn’t told me not to Kai.”

“So what's stopping you Hiro!?” 

“Money.” 

There was a sudden slight chill in the air. Hiro grinned as he thought he had climbed the ladder above Kai.

“My father is nice to anyone with money. We will drag it out of anyone. So when he saw you open the door to his house, he devised a plan instantly. Now that your Grandfather is here, _and _you are dating his son!? It’s almost perfect, we could be set for life.”__

____

____

“I’d never let you take anyone’s money, why do you think you could so easily take mine!?” Kai felt a boiling emotion in his throat he couldn’t grasp, his whole body was heating up. 

“Because it’s not yours, and because we know what we’re doing, and because you love Tyson and would do anything for him. Right!?” 

Hiro had a devilish grin on his face. Kai could tell he was one step away from blackmail. 

“You can threaten me Hiro, you can threaten my family’s legacy, my money, and my Grandfather. But the minute you lay a hand on Tyson, your brother, you will be in a whole new world of pain.” 

“Oh Kai, you’re so tough! How tough will you be when we pull our house and your boyfriend from under you?” 

“It’s not your house, it’s Tyson’s. And I won’t let you.”

“Oh it will happen Kai! You just wait- You’re going to regret ever being with Tyson. I’m going to make you hurt him, and he will have no choice but to run back to his family- to me.”

“Shut up.” 

“And he will be crying, asking me ‘why Hiro!? Why did I ever fall for him!?’” 

“Shut up Hiro!”

Hiro took a step closer to Kai, so they were no more than a foot apart. 

“‘Why Hiro!? All he ever did was hurt me! I should have taken the hint when he betrayed me all those times’-”

“Shut the fuck up Hiro!” With both arms Kai pushed Hiro as hard as he could. 

Hiro fell backward on to the wooden walkway with a heavy thud. He sat back up instantly and grinned. 

“Finally, I won’t get in trouble if you threw the first punch!” 

Kai immediately knew he messed up. 

Hiro threw himself forward at Kai. Kai was unprepared for his speed, Hiro grabbed from under his stomach and threw him off the walkway on to the grass in the courtyard. 

But Kai was fast too. He grasped Hiro’s shirt and pulled him with him as he fell on to the grass. 

They were shocked for a moment but both stood up at the same time.

Hiro’s voice was cracked and angry as he spat words at Kai, “wow, Kai, you are pretty tough! I’ve studied martial arts on almost every continent and I’m surprised you can keep up with me!” 

Kai could feel bruises forming on his back and arms where he fell, the pain made the rage in him boil hotter. 

“So Kai, you’re too much of a pussy to throw a punch? Or are you too scared?”

Kai felt ragged heavy breathes try to escape his lungs, he couldn’t think straight. 

Hiro’s voice turned shallow, and low, he looked straight into Kai’s eyes as he talked in a dark voice, “I’ll make sure Tyson never loves you.” 

His words hit Kai like a wall. It felt like Kai was suffering for years. The thought of Kai losing Tyson was too much, the thought of Tyson hating him was too much, the thought of having him pulled from under him again was insufferable. The thought of having anyone tear that apart made all the rage and emotion Kai had ever felt erupt and gallop through his body, his pulse made his heart feel like it was going to burst out of his chest. The idea that Hiro would be the one to tear them apart finally broke Kai.

Kai’s mind worked slower than his actions, it only took Kai a second to act.

He rushed forward in a fit of anger. He shrieked an inaudible insult at Hiro as he threw a heavy punch right into his stomach. 

Hiro was not prepared for what he had started. When Kai came at him he couldn’t move, he didn’t mean to let him punch him so easily, but when it happened it felt like Hiro’s whole body stayed in one place as his brain was flung a few yards behind him. All he remembered was opening his eyes while lying on the ground a few seconds later. He couldn’t breathe, and Kai was standing overtop of him, his eyes burned like a bonfire at sunset. 

“K-”

Hiro tried to talk as Kai reached down and grabbed him by the scruff of his sweater and pulled his upper body off the ground; but he was incapable of getting any air into his lungs. 

Hiro’s eyes screamed fear, but he had pushed Kai too far, and Kai couldn’t see it. 

“You can try Hiro, you can try as hard as you want but I have hurt people who have wanted to hurt him… And I’ve done worse than this. You won’t pull us apart.” 

Hiro finally managed to take a deep breath in right when Kai dropped him back on to the ground. Kai turned to leave without saying anything. 

Hiro was strong, he managed to gather his breath, composure, and posture all before Kai left the courtyard. He stood up and yelled after him. 

“You really think you’re better than me Kai… You will have to do better than that to put me down!” 

Kai turned around, right when Hiro was in front of him. 

Kai thought Hiro was down and didn’t expect the punch to his throat. 

He cursed at Hiro and threw another punch, which Hiro barely managed to dodge by falling to the right and pushing himself into Kai. 

Hiro grabbed the edges of Kai’s shirt; which actually was Tyson’s shirt, and pulled him down. 

Hiro was overtop of Kai, His sanity dwindled as he thought he had the upperhand.

“Kai, how much do you love my brother? You’ve obviously fucked!? But you used to be rivals? What kind of crazy sex do you two have? Does he even like it? You probably top all the time, he pretends he loves it but he hates it, just like he hates you! I bet you’ve never bottomed before-”

“None of this is your fucking business Hiro!” Kai tried to flip him over but Hiro managed to hold him down by his shoulders.”

“You guys have always been rivals, have you possibly mistaken your hate for love!? He doesn’t love you!” 

They were on the ground rolling over each other screaming and cursing with no order to their fight now whatsoever. 

After hearing the commotion everyone came running from the living room to the backyard. 

Tyson jumped down from the walkway into the grass where they were rolling around. 

Mr. Dickenson, Voltaire, Tala, and Tatsuya watched wondering what to do. 

“Guys stop!” Tyson yelled at them. Whenever he tried to leap forward to separate them they would be in a different position. 

Kai and Hiro seemed to be in their own little world, they didn’t even realize anyone was there.

Hiro managed to peg Kai down momentarily to scream in his face.

“No one loves you! He will never love you and neither wi-”

Kai managed to land a punch to his jugular and flipped him over with Kai overtop. 

“You have no right to judge me!” 

Kai felt himself being lifted away from Hiro. As he was pulled away he tried to lunge at Hiro again, loosening the grip from the person dragging him away and falling forward, Hiro pulled his fist back and landed a punch right in Kai’s Jewels.

“Fuck!” Kai yelled and held himself. He let go and fought through the pain trying to lunge at Hiro again but was pulled back this time with force. 

Tala grabbed hold of Hiro and pulled him back too, far away from Kai.

It took a lot of force and strength but Tyson managed to hold Kai back. 

Kai and Hiro still tried to pull away and attack each other like wild animals. Hiro was spitting enough curses to fill a dictionary, and Kai was screaming war cries. 

“That’s enough Kai! Stop it!” Tyson was done trying to talk sense into Kai with tender loving care. 

“Hiro that’s the end of this!” Tatsuya walked down from the balcony and stood in front of him with a stern look on his face. 

Hiro stopped shouting and Kai stopped screaming. Both their chests heaved with heavy breaths. They still tried to look at each other, but their view was blocked by people. 

Tyson turned Kai around so he was looking away from the situation, and held his shoulders as he looked at him assertively. 

“Kai what the hell happened? What did you do to him? What did he do to you!?” 

Kai tried to gather his breath. The adrenaline drained from his body and he could feel the bruises forming and the stiffness in his shoulders and neck. 

“Your brother’s a fucking dickhead that’s what.” 

Tyson took one hand off Kai’s shoulder and moved some stray hair away from his forehead. 

“What happened for you to do that to him…” 

Kai closed his eyes as he felt the glory that was Tyson’s touch. 

“Your brother just… He said some things. I didn’t like it.” 

Their attention turned to Tatsuya as he started talking to Hiro.

“Hiro what is happening here!?” 

Hiro pulled away from Tala and pointed at Kai. He had gathered his composure back fast.

“I was talking to Kai and he went berserk and attacked me!” 

“You bitch!-” Kai stepped forward away from Tyson, but Tyson grabbed his arm and held him back. He could feel Kai shaking. 

It wasn’t like when Kai attacked Frederick to protect Tyson, this was different, Kai was angrier than Tyson had ever seen him before, he had no idea how to help him. 

“Kai calm down.” Voltaire tried to step in, but his attempt was cast aside.

“Do you have any idea what this idiot just said to me Grandfather!?” 

“Kai that’s enough.” 

As soon as Tyson said it Kai looked around at him. Kai couldn’t take his eyes off Tyson’s. He was so angry but whenever he looked at Tyson he felt his heart melt with passion and burn with the need to protect him. Kai bit his lip and felt his face soften, he realigned his stance and could feel everything around him turn to shit because of what he had done. 

“It’s okay Kai…” Tyson put his hand to Kai’s cheek and Kai closed his eyes trying desperately to sink into him and leave the situation for good. 

“Tyson don’t bother with him, he’s crazy and he beat me up for no reason!” Hiro pleaded. 

Tyson didn’t move a muscle, he kept his hand on Kai’s cheek and rubbed it a little. Kai stood still with his eyes closed. 

Tyson looked to Hiro. 

“I trust him more than you right now Hiro. For Kai to do something like this… There was a reason, and a good reason too.” 

Tyson’s stare had so much scorn Hiro flinched back. 

Kai suddenly fell forward losing his balance. Tyson grabbed him and held him in his arms.

“Kai it’s okay… It’s okay.” Tyson rubbed his back up and down rhythmically. 

Hiro watched them intently, without blinking, he felt an extreme hate burn inside him, as well as a different… Green emotion.


	41. Chapter 41: Old Habits Die Hard

Everyone had left, except for Tala, Hiro, and Tatsuya who were staying downstairs. 

Kai was laying on the bed after a hot shower as Tyson sat beside him applying icepacks to the most bruised areas. 

Kai had one arm under the pillow to prop up his head, while the other hand held a large icepack overtop of his pants, hoping it would stop the pain and swelling in his balls. 

“No Kai here…” Tyson grabbed the icepack with his hands and undid his pants. 

Kai just let Tyson move his limp hand under his pants with the icepack overtop of his underwear. 

“Your pants are too thick…” Tyson mumbled as he rubbed an ointment on Kai’s neck. 

“Thanks Tyson…” Kai said drowsily. 

Tyson finished rubbing the ointment on and sat back. Kai breathed in, and let out a sigh that sounded kind of painful.

“Kai, you alright?” 

“I’m fine… Your brother’s pretty strong- I just wasn’t expecting it.” 

“Sorry…” Tyson bowed his head.

“It’s not your fault Tyson, you don’t control your brother.” 

“Okay so!” Tyson sat back up dramatically. “What the hell happened back there?” 

Kai breathed in again and let out a softer sigh, but winced slightly. 

When the only answer Tyson got was silence, he decided to push the subject.

“What did he say Kai? What did he say exactly!?” 

Kai rearranged the icepack in his pants awkwardly. 

“He said a lot of things…” 

“What exactly? Kai what could he have possibly said that could have made you-”

“He said he will take you away from me. Take you and this house from under me. He said he would make sure you would hate me, and leave me. He made it sound like you already didn’t like me. That we were only rivals stuck on the wrong path…”

“Kai I’m so sorry.” Tyson’s eyes began to water, he was angry and sad, he couldn’t believe his brother said that, but he also couldn’t believe Kai believed it. 

“Yeah…” Kai breathed out. 

“Don’t listen to anything he says Kai…” 

“I know. I’d never listen to that idiot, don’t worry.” Kai flashed Tyson a smile. 

“Hey is your… Whole package area okay?” Tyson asked while glancing at Kai’s crotch awkwardly. 

“My nuts are kind of sore but beyond that everything is fine and fully functional.” Kai grinned playfully. 

Tyson rolled his eyes and let out a low laugh. 

“Hey Tyson?” 

Tyson turned to Kai who suddenly had a confused look on his face. 

“This is a weird question but… How would you feel about me bottoming? I know you like it more-”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Tyson was practically jumping on the bed in excitement. 

“Woah- Alright-” 

“Of course Kai! But… It was so sudden? Where did this come from?” Tyson asked quizzically.

“I- It’s not important but…” Kai slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. With a lot of effort, and a forced grunt he flipped himself over on to his stomach and raised his hips in the air. 

“Come on Tyson, do it.” 

“Kai! Not now! There’s people here and- It’s too soon!” 

“What are you talking about?” Kai said as he burrowed his cheek into the pillow. “Get it over with…” 

“Kai no. Flip yourself backover.” 

Kai obeyed and flipped himself back into a sitting position on his back. 

Tyson crawled up to him and placed a hand on his abdomen. 

“Kai when I top you I will take my time. I will prepare you, and then prepare you again. We will need hours, and I will make sure you like it.”

Kai’s expression showed worry, “But-” 

“No Kai. I am not Frederick. Tell me Kai, has any of the stuff we’ve done resembled anything you did with Frederick?” 

“No- Definitely not- Tyson you are gentle and caring and you make me feel better than anyone else ever has-” 

“Good. Kai I am not Frederick.” Tyson crawled over top of Kai so he was sitting on his stomach looking at him. “Touch me Kai, and tell me, I am Tyson Granger, and I am your boyfriend.”

Kai grasped Tyson’s hips and traced circles gently. He looked away from Tyson. And mumbled. “You are Tyson Granger… And you are my boyfriend-”

“Look me in the eyes Kai.” Tyson said as he grabbed Kai’s hands on either side of him and held them there.

Kai looked up into Tyson’s eyes and took a deep breath. 

“You are Tyson Granger, and you are my boyfriend, you would never hurt me…” 

“Good! Kai, you know I am not Frederick, I love you as Tyson Granger, and I make love to you as Tyson Granger… It is completely different… But regardless, when the time comes that I top you… I will take my time. I will be gentle, because I want to prove to you how enjoyable it can be, and how you don’t need to be afraid…” 

“Thank you Tyson…” Kai’s voice cracked, he was so thankful to have Tyson there. 

_Please never leave me._


	42. Chapter 42: Do it For the Money

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more s3X! ;^)

A few days had passed. 

Hiro and Tatsuya still lazed around the house. The only reason Kai tried his hardest to ignore it and not start anything was because it did seem to make Tyson happy when he was with his father and brother. 

The upside was that the Dojo was large, and it was easy for Kai to avoid them. 

They still kept a watchful eye on them, trying their hardest not to let Hiro or Tatsuya out of their sight. 

Ever since the fight Tatsuya acted awkward around Kai. Kai couldn't pinpoint whether this was because he thought he had attacked his son, or if he had guessed Kai knew something about his money making schemes. 

Either way Kai made every effort to avoid them, but watch them if necessary. 

Because Kai was avoiding them, especially Hiro, it became a task for Tyson and Tala to watch over them.

Tyson wasn’t overly fond of Hiro at the moment, so he invested most of his attention into his father, while Tala was left to entertain Hiro. 

Kai silently thanked Tala. Tala kept him invested, which prevented him from storming off, or getting over emotional; and knowing him he would vent it out on Kai, and Kai couldn’t afford to fight him again. 

It had almost been a week since Hiro had arrived. 

Tala never liked him. He might have respected him when he coached Tyson, but when he switched to BEGA… Tala felt a sour feeling rise in his throat. He tried to convince himself that Hiro never knew what Boris had done, and so he had no reason to doubt him or reconsider joining BEGA. 

But Tala still didn’t like the thought. 

So it was weird-

That when he kept talking to him, he began to understand him more and more as a person than a character. 

Tala remember what Tyson’s father had said, even if it went over everyone’s head. 

When it was just Hiro and Tala in the room, Tala dropped the question.

“So you’re bisexual then?” 

“What!?” Hiro said startled, he wasn’t expecting the question. 

“Your father said something about it…” Tala trailed off with a grin.

“Well… I prefer not to label myself…”

“How come?” Tala asked quizzically. 

“It gives me more options.” Hiro smirked casually. 

“I understand… Kai’s the same way I think, although if you asked Tyson or myself we would both say we were only into men, so we are gay men. But I know a lot of people who just… Don’t label themselves.” 

When Tala looked up to Hiro his eyes were in slits. 

“Kai’s not just into men?” 

It seemed that any mention of Kai would trigger Hiro, no matter how meaningless it was. 

Tala sighed. “Calm down Hiro, you have to stop overreacting whenever I mention him. He’s dating your brother, it’s going to come up.” 

“You didn’t answer my question Tala.”

Hiro was stern and straight to the point. It was a mannerism Tala didn’t like. 

“Why can’t I casually dodge your question?” Tala tilted his head, but corrected it when he noticed how playful he was being. 

All of the sudden Hiro leaned in and got really close. His face was close to Tala’s and his expression hadn’t changed, it was so serious. Tala swallowed a hard lump in his throat. 

“Just give me an answer.” 

Tala held his ground, he could have inched away or turned away but he didn’t. 

“Why do you want to know so bad? It’s starting to sound like you’re obsessed with him.”

Hiro pushed himself back and clicked his tongue. He leaned against the edge of the couch and crossed his arms. 

“You’re insane Tala.” Hiro looked away.

Tala leaned into the couch with his head against it. He felt a sudden exhaustion creep over his body and closed his eyes briefly. 

“You know it.” 

When Tala opened his eyes he swore he saw an expression in Hiro that he hadn’t seen before. 

But he decided he was just insane, and looked the other way. 

Usually Tala would go out at night, but he considered this night his night off. 

He sat on the edge of the dojo.

For ages he just looked at the pond. Tyson had hung some old christmas lights he had bought at a discount store. They worked pretty well and emitted a soft glow from small orbs that dotted the branches in no particular order. 

And Tala found beauty in that chaos. 

The way the mess of lights shone on the water’s surface as bugs and fish made slow ripples that disrupted the image. 

It reminded him of Russia. His life there was a complete mess. It all halted when he came here. He liked it, but he missed it, in a weird, destructive sort of way, but he missed it. The work he did here was different. His clients weren’t as rough, and they were basic people. Tala even had a part time job, but it wasn’t enough. He felt like something was missing. 

It made him crazy trying to figure out what it was. 

He took a deep breath in, and as he stood up he let it out. He turned into the direction of his room, but was stopped in his steps. 

Hiro was standing there, completely motionless, looking at Tala, and he had no idea how long. 

“Hiro?”

He bobbed his head in Tala’s direction.

“How much do you charge?”

His voice was hollow. 

“What do you mean-”

“You’re a whore right?” 

Tala straightened his back. 

“I prefer the term _high class _escort, and the answer is, more than you can pay.”__

____

____

Tala raised his head high and gave off a cocky grin. 

“But I can pay.” 

“I thought you were broke?” Tala tilted his head looking confused. 

“I have enough money.” 

Tala was left standing there. He had no idea how to respond. 

Hiro shook his head and took a step forward.

“Tala… The way you leaned on the couch… It was so cute, you were just like a girl, you know? I don’t like many boys…” 

He got very close to Tala. Tala debated taking a step away but held his ground. 

Hiro looked into Tala’s face. “So… How much do you charge, Tala?”

“Per hour or per night?” Tala grinned.

Hiro lifted his forearm and threw it behind Tala’s head, Tala stumbled back but he didn’t jump. He realized there was a wooden post behind him. Hiro had his forearm above Tala’s head leaning on the post, while Tala had his back against it to keep his balance. 

“Oh, we’re going to need the whole night.” 

It rumbled in Hiro’s throat as he leaned in. 

His lips locked with Tala’s. 

_They are dry and chapped, but I can’t pull away… I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place- ah! A really hard place…_

Hiro had lifted his leg and place it in between Tala’s and moved his knee up and down. 

Hiro bit Tala’s lip, Tala didn’t even hesitate. It was Hiro who pulled away first.

“You seem like you’re used to being rough…” Hiro’s voice was deep and it rumbled making minor shockwaves in Tala’s chest. 

“Of course. I’m the best around…” Tala lagged his words and arched his back moving his hips closer to Hiro’s. 

“Tala…” Hiro seemed to point out his name rather than saying it. 

“What? You can pay right?” Tala reached under his shirt. 

“No, your lip is bleeding…” 

“That’s totally normal when someone bites it as hard as possible.” Tala said with a condescending voice. 

“I just wanted to see how far your tolerance was…”

“I can go as far as possible… As long as you can pay.” Tala whispered towards Hiro, but looked down to his pants. 

Tala didn’t understand why he couldn’t look Hiro in the eye, but he threw away his instincts, he really wanted this, to be rough again. 

Hiro pushed himself into Tala, he grabbed Tala’s cheek and neck with his spare hand and started to furiously make out with him. 

Tala had his eyes closed, he let himself just fall into the motions. 

Tala pulled away from him, making slight pants, Hiro wasn’t the kind of guy to give him long breaks. 

“Is there anywhere we can go to be alone?” 

“No one’s in the dojo at this time of night- There’s a big closet-” 

“Great.” 

Tala couldn’t even remember how they got there, it happened so fast. 

He was in the closet with his shirt off and his pants pulled halfway down. He was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall with Hiro overtop of him going nuts on his neck. His teeth and tongue grazed his neck and collarbones in a way Tala hadn’t experienced in ages. 

Tala knew men, and he knew almost immediately what kind of guy Hiro was. 

Tala knew he was good at his job because he could adapt to any situation, and make men want him. 

He guessed Hiro was the dominant type, so he played this game submissively. He guessed Hiro liked girly boys, so he raised his voice to a higher pitch, and gave off tiny moans every time he would do anything just hard enough. 

Like always, Tala’s guesses were correct. 

Hiro liked it. Maybe he liked it a little too much. But Tala didn’t slow down, because he liked it too. 

Even when they were getting into it, Tala played it off. Even if it seemed that Hiro didn’t care that he kept ramming Tala’s head into the wall every time he thrusted into him. 

It was over faster than expected. After Hiro had got his fill he helped Tala get off, he took no time, thanks to much practice. 

Tala reached for his clothes and started to put his pants back on, while Hiro did the same. 

After they were fully clothed, Tala looked to Hiro. Hiro suddenly collapsed into him, embracing him in a way that contradicted everything that just happened. 

Tala wanted to break the awkwardness. 

“You lied by the way.” 

“What?” Hiro said dumbly as he pulled away.

They both sat in front of each other, like everything was back to normal. 

“You said we would need all night, but it was only a few hours overall.”

Hiro tried to laugh it off, but somehow felt insulted. 

But Tala wasn’t done.

“The good news is you don’t have to pay as much, the bad news is you don’t last long- Hey!?” 

Hiro had jumped Tala again. This time pinning him to the ground while gripping his forearms and sitting on top of him. 

“Do you really want to see how long I can last?” Hiro grew an atrocious grin. 

“You will have to pay more remember?” Tala managed to keep his cool.

“Can’t I get a discount since I’m so good? Or maybe a family and friends discount…” 

“That’s gross, never say that again.” Tala said half serious- and half as a joke. 

“Alright, how about since I’m so good then?” Hiro tightened his grip on Tala. 

Tala winced without even realizing it. 

“Oh am I hurting you?” Hiro had a cold voice, and he didn’t loosen his grip. 

“It’s okay- I like it.” Tala tried to lift himself off the ground and bite the air, it turned Hiro on when he saw Tala try so hard. 

Hiro leaned his whole body on Tala. Tala was tied down. Hiro kissed him again, Tala went along with it, until he couldn’t breath. He tried to push Hiro off but he kept his position.

Tala tried to keep going with it, he used to have lots of clients like this, but when he started to feel light headed he knew he had to stop it. 

His arms were tied down, he tried to struggle, but Hiro didn’t get the hint. 

“Mmm!” Tala tried to talk to him, but Hiro wasn’t allowing it. 

Tala could feel a pain in his head coming in waves. He had only one option.

He bit down on Hiro’s tongue as hard as possible. 

“Ack!-” Hiro pulled away immediately and Tala sat upright as fast as possible. 

Tala panted heavily trying to get his breath back while Hiro held his hand over his mouth. 

“You’re not very good Hiro. One of the first rules is if someone’s going to pass out, you stop.”

Hiro growled under his breath.

“So? Where’s the money?” Tala pushed the subject instantly. 

“I don’t have it on me right now-”

“So you don’t have it?” Tala rolled his eyes.

_What else did I expect?_

“It’s not like I carry hundreds on me all the time you know…”

Tala opened his mouth to retort, but Hiro talked over him.

“I’ll have the money tomorrow, don’t worry about it.” 

Tala stood up and placed a hand on the door to open it. 

Hiro shot up fast and grabbed Tala’s hand. 

“If I pay you… Could we do this again?” 

Tala debated for a second, But he was still used to his old life, any money is good money.

“If you pay me.” 

Tala was surprised when he woke up in the morning and flipped himself over to find a wad of cash on his nightstand. He got up and rubbed his eyes. He picked it up and counted it.

_Surprisingly the exact amount I asked for._


	43. Chapter 43: Evicted

“I’m surprised everybody is out of the house.” 

Kai and Tyson were cuddling on the couch watching afternoon TV on low volume while making idle conversation.

“Yeah Kai, it feels really good just to cuddle you like this- You’re so closed off when people are in the house.” 

Tyson rubbed his cheek against Kai’s chest playfully. 

“I have no idea why… Although you’re right. I guess I just like our privacy…” 

“Me too…” Tyson trailed off as he closed and opened his eyes.

Kai was surprised when Tyson opened his eyes, gave off a panicked expression and shot up. 

“Tyson!?” Kai exclaimed while sitting up with him. 

“Hey Kai… Last time… By the fireplace, my Grandpa’s sword was there, wasn’t it?” 

Kai turned his head towards the area of worship Tyson had made for his Grandpa so long ago. He was right, his sword used to be there, but it wasn’t there now. 

“You didn’t move it, did you Kai?” 

“No I would never touch it without your permission.” 

Kai watched as a dark emotion clouded Tyson’s face.

“I think I know exactly what happened.”

Tyson mumbled as if he dreaded the theory. 

“I’m sorry Tyson…” Kai gently rubbed Tyson’s arm to comfort him, he knew he was enjoying his father’s company. 

“No, Kai. They have been here a few weeks now. I should have known this would happen at some point.” 

Tyson sighed. 

Kai pulled him into a slow hug. 

“I’ll talk to them Kai. But can you come with me?”

“Of course.”

Later that evening Tyson and Kai were sitting on the couch waiting for Hiro or Tatsuya to get back to the house.

It was Tatsuya who entered first. He took off his shoes and waltzed into the living room in a good mood. 

“Hey Tyson! How are you doing? What are you cooking for dinner tonight?” 

Kai knew he had to tread carefully during this conversation. He sat back and didn’t plan to say anything. He could see the anger shadow Tyson’s face as he crossed his arms and sat still as a statue looking deep into his father’s eyes. 

“What happened to Grandpa’s kendo sword?” 

“His what?”

“His sword, father, it was right over there last time I saw it no more than a few days ago.” Tyson threw his hand and pointed in the direction of the shrine. 

It surprised Kai that Tyson called him father so informally with so much spite, lately he had just been calling him dad. It seemed to affect Tatsuya too, when Tyson called him father he blinked a few times and stared past Tyson.

Tatsuya didn’t say anything for a long while. Kai noticed the awkwardness and got up from the couch beside Tyson. He leaned against the wall so Tyson and Tatsuya had floor space. 

“Why would you care? He’s not using it Tyson. He’s dead.” 

Kai felt the fire inside Tyson’s stomach from across the room. 

Tyson didn’t break eye contact with his father. Kai waited for him to calm himself down. Tyson was cool and collected but Kai could tell he was close to snapping. 

“If you did take it, put it back. You and I both know that it’s worth nothing.”

“Anything’s worth something if you find the right buyer Tyson.”

The tension in the room was so thick it turned to ice. 

“Did you take Grandpa’s sword?” Tyson asked as nicely as possible, forcing every syllable through his teeth. 

Tatsuya didn’t say anything. He just nodded.

“So where is it?” Tyson clenched his fists on his knees. 

“I just sold it to a hobbyist-”

“You sold it?”

“Yes-”

“What Dragoon’s sword wasn’t enough for you? My sword wasn’t enough for you!? Your son’s sword; our family’s relic!? You had to go and disrespect your dead father and sell his sword too!? For what!? Probably pennies!”

“I actually got a good deal for it-”

“I don’t care.” 

“Tyson-”

“I. Don’t. Care.” 

Tyson pushed himself off the couch with force and stood tall, looking down on his father. 

“I want you and Hiro out-”

“You can’t kick us out of our own house Tyson-”

“Actually it’s my house. Remember, the man you have disrespected since before he was laid in the ground gave it to me? You two had your chance to make this our home. But you ruined that chance; so I gave you another chance, and another, and another, and now I’m done. You get no more chances dad. You’re done.”

“Tyson, I grew up here.” Tatsuya smiled as if Tyson was acting like a foolish child, and, of course, dad knew best.

“Then you should know better than me how to take care of and respect this ancient place. But you don’t. And that’s why the Dojo is mine, not yours. You don’t have to leave Japan again, but you can’t stay here. I can’t trust you guys anymore.” 

Tatsuya was stunned into a shocked silence. He looked heartbroken. But this time Tyson knew he deserved it, and Kai stood back, ready to protect Tyson if necessary. 

“I’m not a bad person Tyson…”

“Right now you’re being one.” Tyson crossed his arms still holding his intimidating stance. 

“I’m proud of you Tyson. You’re a man now. You’re no longer the boy I watched on TV from halfway across the world. You’re an adult who gets what he wants.” He nodded his head to Kai, “the boy you have been chasing for years,” he gestured with his hands to the whole living room, “the Dojo I wanted so desperately,” he lowered his hands and his shoulders sank, “the championship titles, the friends, and everything else. I’m proud of you Tyson, you’re the best son I could have asked for. You make a much better son than me.” 

Tyson didn’t know what to say, he just stood there, still as stone. 

“I’m sorry, Tyson. I hope you can forgive me one day, and if not me, maybe you could forgive Hiro?”

Kai accidently let out a cocky laugh, but turned his head away hoping not to start conflict. 

“You too, Kai. I wish you noticed how much you have in common with Hiro, and you grow to forgive him as well-” 

“I have nothing in common with that guy.” 

Kai scowled and turned away again. 

“I’m sorry you two. I wish you the best of luck.” 

Tatsuya turned around and put his shoes back on, and left the house in a flash. 

“Are you alright Tyson?” Kai asked quizzically. 

“I’m fine. Just a little shaken up.” 

“At least you don’t hate each other.” Kai pointed out as he walked towards Tyson and embraced him in a tight comforting hug.


	44. Chapter 44: Pay Me

In the next few days that passed Hiro had shown up and grabbed his stuff along with Tatsuya’s. They were apparently renting a small suite above a shop downtown. Although they were denied the Dojo, they still didn’t want to give up the town they grew up in. 

“No. I only show up on nights when your father isn’t here, or hotels. I’ve already told you this.” 

Tala was trying to give yet another lecture to Hiro that he wouldn’t listen to. 

“Actually, you generally show up whenever I ask-”

“Whenever you will pay me.” Tala corrected him.

Hiro rolled his eyes dramatically. 

Tala was leaning against the wall of Hiro’s small bedroom in only his boxers. Hiro sat on the other side of the bed where he could lean on the other wall. Hiro smirked at Tala.

“I love it when you’re wearing less clothes that me…” Hiro scanned Tala up and down. 

“Well it’s easy when you rarely take your pants off…” Tala looked out the window while leaning on his hand. 

Hiro judged Tala yet again and was not disappointed. He felt his whole body shiver when he saw his light skin glimmer through the sunlight that shined in. 

“What are you thinking about?” 

Tala’s head shot in Hiro’s direction at his tone of voice. It was rare for Hiro to give off such a caring voice. 

“I was just thinking how I need to get some stuff from town…”

“Like?” Hiro was an expert at wanting to know everything about Tala.

“Just groceries…” 

“Well let’s go together.” 

“Okay…” Tala agreed, but wondered why he felt so cautious. 

“You pay.” 

“What?!” 

“You wanted to come shopping with me so bad, so you pay.” 

Hiro paid for Tala’s groceries and carried them out for him as well. 

“Let’s stop here.” 

Hiro suggested while walking behind Tala and gesturing towards a bench. 

“What? Okay.” 

Tala had agreed but realised there was no point when Hiro was already sitting on the bench. 

Tala reluctantly sat down beside Hiro.

They both looked over the railings at the ocean in silence. 

All Tala could think of was how he wanted to go home. 

“Hey Tala…”

“What?”

Hiro sighed and placed an arm around Tala, Tala tried to shrug him off but he just slid his whole body closer and continued. 

“I’m sorry about everything I said about you and Tyson… I do regret it.” 

“What about Kai? All the things you did to him-”

“I don’t regret that-”

“Not even when you sacked him?!” 

“Nope. By far one of the best moments of my life.” 

Tala looked away from him with a disgusted expression. 

“Hey hey… I’m a nice guy I promise… Tala- Tala look at me!” 

When Tala refused to look at him Hiro used his arm that was around him to grab his neck and force his face towards him.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you.”

Tala rolled his eyes and tried to pull away but Hiro held him there.

Then Hiro grasped Tala’s hair and forced himself on to him, kissing him with all the force he could. 

“Mmmm!” Tala tried to protest but he continued to push his tongue down Tala’s throat.

When Hiro decided to let go he let go, letting a bit of saliva fall out of Tala’s mouth.

Tala rubbed his mouth with the edge of his sleeve and frowned. 

“It wasn’t that bad… Don’t overreact-”

“You’re not supposed to do that stuff in public!” Tala yelled at his face.

“Woah alright. But you liked it… right?”

“Maybe a little bit…” Tala forced himself to blush. 

“Good.” Hiro grabbed Tala’s chin with one hand and shook it. “Then I will be going. Bye my strong redhead.” 

Hiro stood up and walked away in the opposite direction they came in. 

Tala didn’t notice the look he gave him as he walked away. He had never been more grossed out. 

“What the fuck.”

Tala’s eyes opened wide and he felt a wave tingle throughout his whole spine.

Kai leaned his arms on the edge of the bench and looked down at Tala.

“Kai…”

Tala looked up at Kai. He felt so small, and scared.

“You’re going to have to explain to me what the fuck just happened.” Kai scrunched up his face in disgust.

“I- Kai-”

“Answer me. Why were you kissing my boyfriend’s evil brother? Even you don’t like him… I thought-”

“I don’t Kai! I do not like him!”

Kai just gave him a confused glance.

“I- He’s- Paying me…”

“Well, thank god.” Kai said sarcastically while breathing a sigh of relief. “At last you aren’t dating him.”

“Yeah…” Tala tried to laugh it off playfully but was cut off.

“No, Tala, what the fuck. You can’t do that.”

Tala felt panicked instantly.

“What do you mean…”

“You can’t have my boyfriend’s brother pay you for sex, when you’re living with him and me.”

“Why not?” Tala started to get offensive instead of defensive. 

“You just can’t. I feel like it’s obvious!”

“Why not Kai? I’m making an honest living, he’s paying me a hefty sum, and we aren’t getting in anyone’s way-”

“Tala?”

“What!?”

“No!” 

Tala looked furious. Kai felt so confused, he didn’t understand why Tala couldn't understand the concept. 

The tension between them was electric. 

Kai tried not to get riled up again. He didn’t want to fight Tala, and he especially didn’t want to fight again when Hiro was involved. 

Kai sighed, “Alright, Tala. Whatever you want to do… Just don’t tell Tyson, alright?” 

“Alright…”


	45. Chapter 45: Playing Games

Another day. 

Tala woke up in Hiro’s house alone. He got up and looked to the nightstand table.

_Where’s my money?_

Tala put on his clothes and opened his phone. 

_I sure hope he just forgot._

**Tala: Hiro where’s my money?**

**Hiro: Come into the kitchen.**

Tala rolled his eyes at the pretentious text. 

_That’s so like him._

When Tala walked into the kitchen he was surprised to find Hiro had made breakfast.

“Morning, Tala! I made breakfast. It’s not great but… I tried.”

Tala felt a weird emotion. He hoped it was because he had just woke up and couldn’t get his mind straight. But it felt like a warm feeling… A good feeling.

No.

“Why did you cook? I’m leaving now.” Tala grabbed his coat from the couch.

“But you just got up?” Hiro wore a soft expression that didn’t suit him.

“I always leave after I get up, Hiro. I get my money and leave. So, where is it?”

“Where is what? Come on sit down…” Hiro gestured towards the kitchen table. 

“No, Hiro. I don’t want to play his game.”

Hiro looked up at Tala with an expression that reminded Tala of a spoiled puppy. 

“Stay for a little while…” 

“If you pay me I’ll stay. But you’re still behind on your last payment. I need the money from this morning.” 

Hiro made an exaggerated frown. 

Hiro waltzed away from the table towards Tala. Tala didn’t even move when he lifted his hand and rested it on Tala’s cheek.

“Tala… I was under the impression that I wasn’t paying you anymore?” 

Tala tilted his head confused.

“Why wouldn’t you be paying me?” 

Hiro used his thumb to gently rub Tala’s lips.

“Aren’t we… Well… Ever since our talk at the bench by the sea I thought… We were going out?”

Tala started to laugh.

Hiro pulled away, he was embarrassed and offended, which for him was the perfect mixture to create anger.

“Tala, don’t fucking laugh at me!”

Tala looked to the floor and tried to suck back his laughs.

“Sorry, Hiro… I just don’t know how you could have thought that…”

Hiro scowled, “Well… We kissed out of the bedroom and I thought-”

“You kissed me out of the bedroom!” Tala corrected him.

Hiro felt like he had got punched in the gut. He stepped away from Tala.

“I’m sorry, Hiro, but I don’t like you that way. I’m surprised you think of me that way-”

“I don’t.” Hiro hissed through his teeth. 

“Alright…” Tala said as gently as possible, trying to be overly cautious. 

Hiro looked to the floor; he looked utterly defeated. 

“Hiro? I think we should break this off. I can’t offer my services to you if you think of me that way. I can’t risk one of my clients having feelings for me.”

“What.”

Hiro’s voice growled throughout the room. 

Tala felt his throat go dry.

“What did you say?!” 

Hiro rose his voice.

“I’m done Hiro. We’re done.”

Tala felt bad but he knew Hiro wasn’t the kind of guy to take any kind of weak response. He had to be blunt, and straight to the point. 

But Hiro still didn’t like the reality.

“Tala- No- Please-” Hiro begged.

Then Hiro’s expression changed. He was angry that his emotions made him feel this way, and had reduced him to begging. 

“Tala, no.”

Hiro stepped back towards Tala. Tala took a step back. Now that he decided Hiro was no longer his client, he had no reason to stay.

“You don’t even have to pay me for last night Hiro… Just let me leave.” Tala said his thoughts out loud, suddenly realizing he thought this way because he was scared. 

Hiro advanced on Tala. He was too quick Tala didn’t have time to turn around, and backed himself into a wall. It hurt his back and his head as it was thrown back. Then Hiro placed his hands on either side of Tala’s waist against the wall blocking him in. 

Tala closed his eyes, unconsciously expecting to get hit or hurt in some way.

But all Hiro did was place his forehead on Tala’s; he took a deep breath in, and out, taking in all of Tala’s scent. 

“Alright Tala. I don’t want you to leave. But I’ll let you. But I just want you to know- I’ll always be here if you need anything.”

Hiro lifted his head away but still stayed in the same position, looking into Tala's eyes.

Tala grinned. He lifted up his fist and playfully pretended to punch Hiro’s shoulder.

“You’d be better off with a girl anyways.” Tala grinned.


	46. Chapter 46: The B-Word

“Kai! You’ll be happy to know that he’s not my client anymore, so don’t worry.”

Kai had been judging Tala since he walked into the house later that day. He was sitting on the couch reading a book, he hadn’t even greeted Tala or acknowledged his presence.

“Well, finally you came to your senses.” Kai said while closing his book with a snap.

“Yeah, he wasn’t the best of clients either…” Tala admitted while flopping on the couch opposite Kai.

“I could only imagine…” Kai agreed.

“I think I understand what you meant now Kai and I’m sorry, I’m just glad I got Hiro out of my life-”

Tala looked to Kai who was giving him a panicked expression. Tala realised he was looking behind him. Tala swung his head back so fast he felt the whole room spin before his gaze landed on Tyson.

“What is this about my brother Tala?” 

Tala knew he messed up. He thought he finally understood what Kai had meant, but now he got the full taste. 

“I- er- um…”

“Tyson…” Kai started. “We both love Tala but sometimes he’s a little dense-”

“Hey!” Tala tried to defend himself.

“You were being a little dumb, Tala.” 

Tala slowly nodded in agreement, Kai sighed and continued.

“He decided it would be a great idea to take your brother on as a client.” 

Tyson held his breath and then let it out.

“Ew.” 

That’s all Tyson said before he came around the couch and sat beside Tala.

“Did he hurt you?”

“No- Not really, don’t worry about it Tyson. I actually had to break it off because I think he was starting to develop feelings for me… I know- Stupid right?” 

Tala awkwardly tried to laugh it off. 

Tyson glanced towards Kai. They read each other perfectly. 

“Tala… What do you think of it?” Tyson asked in a comforting voice.

“Think of what?” Tala asked confused.

“Selling yourself the way you do.” Kai said simply. “You can’t do it forever, and you can’t truly be happy doing it.” 

Tala looked back to Tyson, who only nodded in agreement.

Tala couldn’t lie. After Hiro, he was thinking about it a lot. He had been through enough men to realize some were overwhelmingly boring, and some were just plain crazy. He didn’t know if he could handle it anymore. He didn't want to run into another Hiro, or god forbid he accidently found a Frederick. 

The more and more Tala thought about it, the more he realized he liked the feeling that Hiro gave him; wanting him. Tala liked the idea of having someone want him, and wanting someone back. 

“Maybe I’m done with being a whore.”

The room fell silent. 

Tala thought and thought. He had never had his mind work this hard. It was like a beehive.

He didn’t want to sell himself anymore. But that’s all he knew. 

_Do I want love? Do I want what Kai and Tyson have? It would make sense… Have I ever loved anyone that way? I feel like I have, but I’ve just blocked it out._

Kai and Tyson gave him the time to think. No one moved a muscle for what felt like minutes as Tala’s mind worked away. 

_I want something. I want someone. I think- Maybe._

He thought about the abbey, everything after, the tournaments, the kids around him, how he felt, any potential crushes, anything. Then he thought about Russia. 

His final thoughts rested on one man. But he never thought he could actually like him. 

“Sasha.” 

“What?” Kai asked.

Tala repeated himself. “Sasha.” Tala swallowed before adding anything else, his throat was dry. “I might like him. But I don’t know. I wonder how he’s doing. If he’s okay. Should he be in Russia?”

Before now Tala had always worked on instinct, what felt best in the moment. 

But now he started to make plans.

“I think- I want to go to Russia again-”

“Tala…” Kai’s voice read nothing but concern, but his voice trailed off. 

Kai trusted Tala with whatever he needed and wanted to do.

“I won’t be gone long Kai. I just want to see Sasha. Make sure he’s okay… Then I’ll be back. I can’t live the life I want to live in Russia anymore.” Tala gave a comforting smile in Kai’s direction.

“Tala… I’m scared for you if you go to Russia; it’s a toxic place for both of us. But… If you think you can handle it again... I trust you.”

Tala could feel his whole face burning, he was embarrassed and thankful.

“Thanks Kai...” Tala nodded his head while fighting back tears.

There was a few moments of silence. Tyson still looked confused. Kai turned to him.

“What’s wrong Tyson?” 

“Well I was just wondering… Tala… How much did he pay you?”

“That’s a bit personal, don’t you think Tyson-”

“Well it’s just…” Tyson leaned back and sighed. “I thought he was broke. I was paying his way for everything.”

Tala felt like an idiot, because it had never crossed his mind.

“Honestly Tyson… Overall it was a lot of money…”

Tyson’s face shadowed, “How much?” 

Tala glanced at Kai, then leaned into Tyson’s ear and covered his hand to whisper it to him.

“Geez you’re right that is a lot of money…” Tyson said with a hint of awe. 

“What?! I’m not allowed to know how much you charge?!” Kai asked bewildered. 

“You’re not allowed to know how much I charged _him _.” Tala emphasized.__

____

____

Kai leaned back, he looked legitimately offended. 

Tyson straightened his posture and held out his hand to Tala.

“Can I borrow your phone?”

“How come?” Tala asked puzzled.

“I need to call my brother, but he won’t pick up if he knows it’s me.” 

Tala was reluctant at first, but then curiosity got the best of him.

_Where did he ever get the money?_

Tala handed him the phone and Tyson found his number and let it ring. He put it on speaker phone so everyone could hear. 

It only rang two times before Hiro picked it up.

“Hello? Tala?!” 

“Hey Hiro. I was just curious, where did all that money came from that you used to buy my friend?” 

“Shit- Tyson-”

“No, I’m just curious! I really don’t care. I just want to know where you got this money that you told me you didn’t have.” Tyson forced out the last syllables.

“I-”

Hiro sighed and stayed silent for a few seconds.

“One of our digs got funded.”

“You and dad’s digs?”

“Yes.”

“Well that’s great! But why were you still leaching off me-”

“Because I have no idea how trustworthy this guy is. I know him I’ve worked with him before but he’s not the most trustworthy person.”

Tala mouthed some words to Tyson, ‘ask him who it is!’

“Who is it?” Tyson asked Hiro, mimicking Tala’s words.

“Why does it matter to you?”

Tyson could feel Hiro sneer over the phone. 

Tyson took a deep breath and looked at Kai, then let his attention fall back on the phone.

“Because this man sounds dangerous. If he could hurt or harm you guys I want to know.”

“Do you really want to know?” Hiro’s voice became softer.

“Yes.” Tyson nodded, suddenly noticing he couldn’t even see him.

“You’re going to hate me Tyson. And don’t tell Kai or Tala… Especially Tala. He will never forgive me.” 

Tyson looked around the room, first to Kai, then to Tala. He looked directly into Tala’s eyes as he answered.

“They won’t hear a word from me.”

“Good.”

There was a moment of silence. Tyson could hear Hiro take a deep breath before starting.

“Many years ago, after your last tournament against Neo-Borg- Dad and I went far away to go on digs. We were running out of money. It was awful… But we wanted to continue doing what we loved. So we pushed forward. We found ourselves in America… We went to the PPB- Judy’s company, she welcomed us with open arms… And our research.”

“That sounds very unlike Judy…” Tyson pointed out cautiously.

“That’s what I thought. But it turns out she was stuck in her research. They had hit a block and halted. If she didn’t come up with anything new she was going to lose her funding from the government, and that's all the funding she had.”

“But-” Tyson had conflicting information from Mr. Dickenson and Voltaire that he wanted to point out.

“Things are different now Tyson. And that’s cause we did some bad things.” 

“Like… How bad?” 

“You just won’t like it. Do you remember what Judy was researching? And has been researching for many years?”

“Bit beasts?” Tyson guessed.

“Correct. She had studied all the rocks and everyone else’s data from your tournaments, but it wasn’t enough. She needed more information. And we had that.”

“She was willing to buy it from us for a nice sum. But we had better ideas… We offered to work for her. We would be her field team. Since we were both researching the same thing we would work out better together; and we could get some proper funding, and she could get some proper information.”

“That is a good plan… Where did it all go wrong?” 

“She refused us. Said we weren’t enough, and she couldn’t afford to pay another team to fail her. She was kind of losing it. And at that moment a man walked into the place like he owned it. He was pissed off and determined that all his efforts all these years hadn’t worked. He knew Judy was his last hope, and she thought he was her last hope. So they worked together. When he decided our data was useful she decided to hire us, but it’s him who controls where we go, and what our budget is, and how much we get paid, into an account that's only _sort of _ours. So in a way we are rich, and in a way we are broke.”__

____

____

“Who is he?” Tyson’s mind was whirling trying to figure out who it was.

“Boris.” 

Hiro answered confidently. 

Kai looked like a train had hit him, while Tala was visibly angry, but managed to keep his mouth shut. 

“Why did you two trust him?” Tyson knew what it meant to Kai and Tala, but he felt betrayed too. His brother knew what Tyson went through to throw down Boris’ team in the last tournament. 

“It’s not that we trust him… Even Judy kept him a secret from the rest of the PPB… That’s why Max and Kenny don’t know.”

“That makes sense.” Tyson mumbled.

“So now you see why Kai and Tala can’t know? They will never forgive me. Or Judy, or her company, or Mr. Dickenson and Mr. Hiwatari for signing up with Judy’s newly designed company.” 

“Hiro… You could have just not told me all this you know? But you told me everything… Why? And how can you be happy living under his thumb? Last time you were on his team you still had freedom, now he’s made sure to take it all away…” 

“That’s why I’m telling you… I’m not happy with the circumstances. But this is the best way to do what Dad and I love to do… But if we were to leave we won’t be able to get into the dig sites we want… Or have the equipment… Or the funding… This way we at least get the good end of the stick. I hate doing it for him, I want to research for us. The PPB is getting up there, and it’s growing power fast. They get funding from the American government, other countries, the BBA, the Hiwatari company, and now Boris.”

Hiro took a deep breath and sighed. 

“It’s too much. I don’t want Boris to gain this much political power again… And the only company that still holds more wealth and power over the PPB and Boris is the Hiwatari company…” 

Tyson could hear Hiro shuffle uncomfortably. 

“I think that’s why dad was being so nice to Voltaire and Kai. But I could be wrong. I hope I’m wrong… Because if he’s sucking up that much… Then the position we’re in with Judy’s company is worse than I thought…” 

It suddenly hit Tyson how much Hiro depended on their dad. 

“I’m sorry Hiro.” 

“Yeah. So now you understand where all that money came from. I took it from Boris’ account he used to fund us. I felt using it to buy Tala would be a huge fuck you.”

Tyson forced out a laugh. 

“That is true! Has he figured it out yet?”

“No, not yet.” 

There was a quiet moment where Tyson glanced at Tala, he no longer looked angry, but shell shocked, and slightly confused.

“Well Tyson I have to get going. I’ve got tons of stuff to do… Bye..” Hiro hung up the phone awkwardly, leaving the guys in an eerily silent room.

Tyson handed the phone back to Tala.

Tala reached out his hand and took it slowly. 

“I-I’m sorry guys…” Tyson stuttered, he had no idea what to say.

Kai looked over at Tala. He knew how he felt, but Tala was more passionate about the subject.

“Guys… I’m okay. Boris will always be around- Fucking with everything- I’m just going to have to live with it. I can’t spend my life trying to get revenge for what he did to me- Us, Kai, and all the abbey boys…”

“So what are you going to do Tala?” Kai asked, in a well mannered voice that casually changed the subject.

“I think… I’ll go to Russia, find Sasha, and try to convince him to move back here with me. If he can leave…” 

“When are you going?” Tyson asked.

“As soon as possible.” Tala had a playful grin slide across his face.

Tyson and Kai knew they had nothing to worry about.


	47. Chapter 47: Do It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> s3x times again <3

It felt weird to have the house all to themselves. Since Tala had left a few days prior they had cleaned the house and got the kittens on regular food and successfully litter trained them. 

Tyson had phoned Kai to let him know he was working a late shift, and he wouldn’t be home for dinner. 

Kai had prepared something himself and was upstairs cleaning their bedroom. 

Nika was sitting on the bed rolling all over it. 

“Nika, I’m trying to put the sheets back on. Get off!”

She wiggled on to her back and looked up to Kai and meowed at him. 

Kai rolled his eyes.

“No wonder you like Tala so much you both have the same kind of attitude…” 

Kai laid out a sheet in the air and let it lightly fall on her. 

Kai saw the blanket poof up in several areas. He pulled off the sheets again and Nika came barging out to him rubbing her head against his hands. Kai gave her many pets, and then shooed her off the bed.

“Go play with your brothers!” 

He finished making the bed and quickly organized the rest of the room. He heard the door open downstairs.

“Kai I’m home! Where are you?”

“I’m upstairs!” Kai yelled into the hallway to get his attention. 

He heard Tyson run up the stairs at full pace and barge into the room.

“Woah Tyson!”

Tyson ran into Kai giving him a tight hug.

“Tyson it’s only been a few hours! Why are you so needy today-”

“I’m just super happy to see you today!” 

Tyson kissed Kai suddenly on the lips.

Kai was startled but then went along with it. 

Kai pulled away first. “I cleaned everything today…”

“I saw! Everything looks super nice!” 

Tyson leaned in again for another makeout session.

“Okay Tyson woah-” Kai put up his hand to shield himself. “What’s up with you today?”

“Kai.” Tyson got serious right away. He used both hands to play with the necklace Kai was wearing. “You know exactly why I’m being like this.”

Kai groaned. “You aren’t subtle you know that right? It has been a long time you’re right…” 

“And Tala’s gone too! We have nothing to worry about Kai- We haven’t done anything since before my father and brother were here…”

“I know it’s been so long…” Kai closed his eyes for a second and opened them. 

“Kai you said you were very… to quote you- ‘active’, but you really haven’t shown me any of that… Maybe you just have a lot of self-control?”

“Well… I do, but then we hadn’t done it for so long… I was able to kind of tune it out-”

“What you can do that!?” Tyson was impressed.

“Y-yeah…”

“So you’re not in the mood then?” Tyson pouted while looking at Kai’s chest.

“No- You just have to make me-” Kai blushed, it had been a while since they had done anything, so he was getting flustered all over again.

“So you’re saying I have to turn you on?” Tyson grinned and dragged his hands down Kai’s chest flirtatiously. 

“Tyson…”

“Mhm?” Tyson trailed his fingertips on the rim of Kai’s pants.

“You were baking today at work?”

“Yeah I was preparing the sweets for the café for tomorrow morning…” 

“You smell like cinnamon.”

“Oh I forgot you love the taste of cinnamon mmm!-”

Kai had pulled Tyson into him by grasping the back of his neck. He started to kiss him passionately and moved his head lower to kiss and nibble his neck.

Tyson giggled, “Kai that was easy- I thought it would take more to turn you on!” 

Kai pulled away for a brief second, “You being you generally turns me on…” Kai undid the buttons of Tyson’s shirt as he fixed his posture while standing back up. 

“Perfect…” Tyson took off his shirt after Kai had undone all the buttons. 

“Hey was this spot here before?” Kai asked while poking an area on Tyson’s stomach.

“I’m not sure… It kind of looks like a mole?” 

Kai wiped it with his hand and it smudged.

“Oh my god Tyson.”

“What?! Am I going to die?”

“It’s chocolate.” Kai looked up at him and laughed.

“I was making chocolate cinnamon rolls today…” Tyson giggled. 

“My god you’re a mess…” Kai fell down to his knees.

“Kai? What are you?-”

Kai licked the area of his stomach where the chocolate was. 

Tyson’s body shook as he giggled, “Kai that’s tickles!” 

“Sorry…” Kai mumbled. “I could do something that feels good instead?” Kai tilted his head while looking into Tyson’s eyes and simultaneously undoing the button of his pants and sliding them down. 

“Really Kai? You’re that comfortable already? The last time we did it…”

“It’s okay- I’m still a little nervous but- I really want to…”

“Kai- Hold up for a second-”

Kai stopped immediately when Tyson asked him too. He sat back on his knees waiting for Tyson to say something. 

“Wow- Okay that was fast- Um… I’m just wondering… How are you doing with all this now? You seem way more comfortable but- I was just curious…” Tyson asked with his pants halfway down. He reached down and tried to awkwardly keep them up to stop Kai from getting distracted. 

Kai took a deep breath. 

“I’m very comfortable with you now. I can even show you all of my body with no problem now…” 

Kai grasped the bottoms of his shirt and threw it off over his head. “See?”

Tyson laughed and held out his hands to Kai. “Here, get up off the floor.”

Kai took his hands and Tyson pulled him back up.

“Mmm…” Kai made an uneasy noise and plastered himself into Tyson’s chest. 

“See Kai? You’re not as comfortable as you think you are…”

“I’m fine Tyson!” Kai pushed himself away with a start. “I’m good…”

“Alright Kai… I’m glad you say that! Cause I have something to show you…”

“What is it…” Kai asked uneasily.

Tyson did up his pants only leaving the top button undone as he walked over to the closet and pulled out a large box and flopped it on the bed. 

Tyson opened the lid.

“It’s a collection of all the weird shit I’ve hoarded for the past few years. Plus some new stuff… You’re welcome to use whatever you want.” 

“Holy shit Tyson.”

Kai had sat on the bed and started to look into the box.

There was loads of condoms, lube, and sex toys.

“I also bought a bunch of stuff for us to try, to get used to some trust exercises…”

“We don’t need to do trust exercises?” Kai grinned at Tyson, but Tyson just looked concerned. 

“Do… we?” Kai restated his question.

“I think… It would be good for us… Just because-”

“Of me.” 

Tyson regretted his decision when he saw how hurt Kai looked.

“Sorry Kai…”

“No you’re right. We need to do some things that will reintroduce me to everything… Just because of how nervous I am.”

“So you’re open to it!?” Tyson asked excitedly.

“Yes! Of course Tyson!” 

Tyson reached into the box and pulled something out. 

It was a wad of rope. 

“Woah Tyson!?” Kai inched further away.

“Have you ever done anything like this before?” Tyson asked casually. 

“Yeah but…” 

“Here Kai! Just hold this one!” Tyson passed the rope over to Kai. 

Kai fumbled with it at first, but then started to inspect it.

“It’s surprisingly soft? Why is it so smooth?” Kai looked confused.

“Because it’s actual sex rope? Did you just use regular industrial rope before?” 

“I guess…” 

“You aren’t supposed to do that.” Tyson cringed. “You would get terrible rope burn…”

“I know…” Kai sighed regretfully. 

Tyson wiggled towards Kai and placed his hands over Kai’s, over the rope. 

“So, is it okay if I tie you up?” 

“Um!” 

Kai had a wave of fear wash over his face, then he realized exactly why Tyson wanted to do all this. He trusted Tyson, but to Tyson it felt like he didn’t. 

“I’ll be gentle Kai I promise. I will only do things that I tell you I’m doing… I won’t go out of line… And if you don’t want me to do anything just say so…”

“Alright…” Kai said under his breath.

“Sorry Kai?”

“Do it!” 

“Kai…” 

Kai knew Tyson was uncomfortable, because he thought Kai was scared. He had to prove to him that it was okay.

Kai wrapped his arms around Tyson’s neck and pulled him down so he was overtop of him. He looked into Tyson’s eyes.

“Tie. Me. Up.”

“Okay… How do you want to do this Kai? To the bedpost or…” 

“You can do my hands if you want…” 

It surprised Tyson that Kai suggested it. 

“Okay… Give me your hands.” Kai took his arms off Tyson’s neck and placed his hands in front of him. 

Tyson got him to sit up slightly.

“Alright, put your hands above your head. Like you’re getting arrested.” Tyson grinned playfully. 

Kai put his hands over his head, “Arrest me, officer.” He smiled. 

“I’m just going to do a simple knot Kai… If you really tried you could get out-”

“No, do it tight.” 

“You sure Kai?”

“Of course.”

Tyson grabbed both Kai’s wrists with one hand and wrapped the rope around the poles of the headboard. 

He pretended to tie it really tight.

Tyson sat back on top of Kai and looked down to him. 

Kai tried to pull himself up with his hands tied and grunted in the effort. He looked at Tyson and grinned. 

“So now that I’m all tied up- What are you going to do with me?”

“I’m going to kiss you-”

Tyson leaned down and kissed Kai’s lips.

“Well that doesn’t seem that bad-”

“All over. I’m going to kiss you _everywhere _.”__

____

____

Kai felt his heart rise in his chest.

“Do it then…”

Tyson started to kiss Kai again. They got more passionate and sloppy, and Kai started to breath hard as he got more and more excited.

It was an interesting feeling, Kai didn’t have to do any work, he couldn’t do anything with his hands. Kai tried to move his whole body forward, and started to use his tongue. He was frustrated that he couldn’t do anything at first. Tyson pulled away when he noticed how Kai was acting. 

“Damn Kai, why do you have to be so aggressive?” Tyson joked. 

“I just… Want to…” 

“Here Kai…” Tyson said as he started to kiss Kai’s neck, he glided up to his ear and whispered into it.

“It’s all about you tonight Kai… I’m going to make you feel good. Way too good.” 

Kai closed his eyes while he straightened his neck, “mmm fuck…” 

Tyson kept kissing his neck while he felt Kai’s whole body grow stiffer and more impatient. 

“See? It’s good Kai. What do you want me to do now?” 

Kai thought about it for a while. His mind whirled and fell on something simple. But then he thought about what he promised Tyson before.

“You could… Do something crazy?”

Tyson looked surprised, “Wow Kai you’re being very unpredictable today… How crazy? What do you want me to do?” 

Tyson slid his body down Kai. He started to undo Kai’s pants.

“Take them off.” 

Kai stated it so bluntly Tyson blinked a few times. He was fine with his chest now but he was still careful about Tyson seeing his thigh. 

Tyson sat in between Kai’s legs and slid off his pants with ease. They both laughed when Tyson tried to take off his socks. 

Kai was left in nothing but his underwear underneath Tyson, he was blushing and trying to hide his face by turning it to the side.

“Wow Kai you are _hard _.”__

____

____

“Y-yeah…” Kai looked back to Tyson.

Tyson slid his hands over Kai’s bulge in his boxers. 

“What do you want me to do about it?” Tyson asked seductively. 

Kai shivered while he did it.

“Um- Do something crazy… Just- Take them off…” Kai’s whole body tingled and became warmer as Tyson grabbed the edge of his boxers and slowly slide them off. 

“Kai, you’re naked now. Now what do you want me to do?”

“Umm…” Kai tried to turn his face away, clearly embarrassed. 

“No don’t do that…” Tyson leaned his body overtop of Kai’s and used his hand to turn his face towards his. Kai let his face follow the direction of Tyson’s hand, and when he was looking at him again Tyson surprised him by giving him another kiss.

“Don’t be embarrassed Kai!”

Kai lifted his head to kiss Tyson back.

“I’m not!-”

“Alright Kai…” Tyson used both hands to play with Kai’s hair. “So what do you want me to do?” 

“Why do you keep asking me…” Kai closed his eyes and moved with Tyson’s motions. 

“Just cause…”

“That’s not a good answer Tyson…” 

Kai opened his eyes and looked at Tyson who had sat back up and had squeezed himself in between Kai’s legs again. He still had his pants on, but they were slightly undone with his boxers showing, Kai was so excited he could feel his cheeks going red. He wanted to do something that would make him feel absolutely out of his mind. And he had the perfect idea, he just hoped he could tolerate it. 

“Tyson… I have an idea.”

“Yeah?” Tyson started to trail his hands down Kai’s chest towards his hips.

“Mmm- Grab one of those- from out of the box-”

“A condom?” Tyson’s eyes went wide, “For you?” 

“No-” Kai swallowed and tried to get his composure back. “For you…” 

“Kai… You want me to-” Tyson pointed at himself and then Kai. 

“Yeah!” Kai said oddly excited. “We mentioned it before… Remember?” 

“I do remember… I just didn’t think you were still thinking about it… But if you want to I will. And I will do a good job…”

Tyson pulled himself away and crawled to get into the box and pulled out a whole wad. 

“What’s your favourite colour Kai?” Tyson grinned.

“Shut up! And you know it’s blue.” 

“Not red?” Tyson said while pulling up a red one.

“Red has always been my colour, but blue is yours…” Kai said matter-of-factly. 

“Oh! I get it.” Tyson laughed. “That is so you.”

“Shut up…” Kai tried to turn away again. 

But Tyson was on the case. He launched forward. “Stop looking away Kai!”

Kai looked back to him. He tried to move his hands unconsciously, and realized they were still tied up. 

“Are you still okay with that Kai?” Tyson looked concerned.

“I’m fine… I can stay like this while you… Start- But when we actually start to do it you can untie me.” 

“When I prepare you, you mean?” Tyson corrected him.

“Yes…” 

“Alright Kai how do you want me to do this?” 

“You know better than I do!” 

“Alright Kai.” 

Tyson reached back into the box and grabbed out a large bottle of lube. 

“Wow that stuff looks fancy…” Kai pointed out awkwardly, he didn’t want to use up Tyson’s good stuff. 

“Of course Kai! It’s your first time with me… Plus this stuff doesn’t dry up so fast.” 

Kai still looked uneasy. 

“Here I’ll show you!” Tyson said as he poured a ton all over Kai’s chest.

“What are you doing!?” Kai was shocked, but laughed along anyways.

Tyson started to rub it over Kai’s chest. 

“Tyson that tickles!” Kai sounded serious, and then giggled, then went back to being serious, “Tyson! Stop it!” But then laughed again.

Tyson slid himself down with his hands and grasped Kai’s thighs. 

Kai breathed in sharply and held his breath. 

“Kai… I’m going to ease into it okay?” 

Tyson wrapped a condom around his finger, and rubbed Kai down with extra lube. 

“Okay-” 

“You can let go of your breath Kai you don’t have to be so tense…” 

Kai noticed he was holding his breath, and let it out. 

“You ready Kai?” 

Kai nodded. 

Tyson kissed Kai’s right thigh before gliding up with his finger and inserting it slowly. 

“You okay Kai?” 

“It’s fine I barely feel anything…” 

Tyson started to move a bit.

“Ah…” Kai breathed out accidently letting audio slip out with it. 

Tyson’s hand was still holding Kai’s left thigh, he felt Kai’s whole body shiver and tense up again; but this time it wasn’t a bad feeling, it was a good feeling. 

“Kai? Do you want me to use two-”

“Mhm!-” Kai nodded enthusiastically. 

Tyson got the drift, he was really enjoying it, but he still had to keep going slowly. 

Tyson gently slid both fingers in. 

“Ah!” Kai accidently let out his first moan for Tyson.

“Wow Kai… I haven’t even got your spot yet…” 

“But it’s good already… It’s never been like this for me before…” Kai admitted under his breath. 

“Kai- I want you to feel what this is like. This is what it's supposed to feel like… Here- I want you to feel this-”

Tyson moved in further, as soon as he got Kai’s spot he reacted, his whole body shot up from the unexpected shock.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Kai’s mouth hung open, he wasn’t expecting the wave of pleasure as Tyson continued to finger him. 

“Wow Kai you’re sensitive!” Tyson was impressed. He grinned when he realized how good it was for Kai. 

Tyson continued with the motions until Kai didn’t seem as sensitive. He stopped and looked at Kai. Kai was looking back, panting, with his eyes half closed. 

“Tyson- You can untie me if you want- And then go… All the way.”

Tyson swallowed a hard lump in his throat and nodded. 

“Yes Kai.” He said as he quickly pulled out and cleaned himself up. He reached above Kai with both hands so his chest was by Kai’s face. 

“Nice view…” Kai mumbled and stopped when his voice cracked unexpectedly. 

“Your voice only did that Kai cause you were holding back with your noises… Your throat’s sore…” 

Tyson untied the rope with ease and Kai lowered his hands and let them fall loosely beside him. 

“Then I won’t hold back then…” 

“Perfect…” Tyson took his original position in between Kai’s legs while grasping his thighs. 

Kai glanced down at what was happening and then redirected his gaze back to Tyson. 

“It’s okay Kai. I’m going to go in really slowly… And very gentle.”

He reached behind him and grabbed out another condom from the box and undid his pants, easily wrapping it and inching closer to Kai.

“Um…” Kai sounded uneasy. 

“What’s wrong Kai? Is it cause I’m still wearing my pants? Do you want me to take them off?”

“No- It’s not that- I’ve just never taken anything that big before-”

Tyson laughed slightly. “But Kai I’m only an average size?” 

“And he was a lot smaller-” Kai pushed out the words cautiously. 

“Oh god. He was so tiny!” Tyson grew a massive smirk on his face. It gave him a sort of pleasure in knowing he was bigger than Frederick; but he also knew he had to be more careful. 

“It’s okay Kai…” Tyson started to comfort him when he noticed Kai hadn’t let down his walls. “I’m not trying to hurt you… He was. I’m trying to make you feel good, and I will. I promise.”

Kai gave off a warm smile and Tyson felt his muscles untense. 

“Okay Kai? Tell me when to go…”

“Go.” Kai directed him, still smiling. 

Tyson nodded and left his right hand on Kai’s thigh as he used his left hand to direct himself in. He squeezed in gently, and only had the tip in. 

“You okay Kai?” 

“I barely feel anything…” 

“That’s cause I took so long to prepare you!” 

“You did a good job then…”

Tyson went in a little more.

“Okay I’m starting to feel it now…” 

Kai lifted up his arms and let his hands fall on Tyson’s shoulders. 

Tyson still went in further. 

“O-okay! Okay! I’m really feeling it noW!” Kai had wrapped his arms around Tyson’s neck, unconsciously pulling Tyson towards himself

“Kai I’m all the way in… I’m going to move-” 

“Really?” Kai mumbled as he glanced down and then back up. He gave off an expression that Tyson could read as him being impressed with himself. 

Tyson expertly moved out and then back in. 

“Ah! Ah…” Kai let it out loudly. 

“There we go Kai… Don’t hold it in- Let it out.” 

Tyson repeated the motion. 

Kai mimicked the sounds.

“Tyson do it again… This time faster- Ah!” 

No sooner had Kai asked Tyson obeyed. He kept going this time, not stopping, going in deep and then coming out in a perfect rhythm. 

Kai had never felt anything like it. He pulled Tyson down into him and lifted himself up so he was as close to Tyson as possible. 

“Kai I can’t do anything in this position!” Tyson laughed. 

Kai held him closer and then let him slide off him back to his position. 

“It just feels so good Tyson- It’s almost unbearable…” 

“I know right!? Do you want me to keep going?” Tyson teased. 

“Yes! Please do…” Kai tried to say formally but sounded thirsty and desperate. 

Tyson continued, and Kai made as much noise as possible. 

“Fuck- Tyson!-” 

“You want to cum don’t you?” 

“Yeah but I don’t think I can do it like this…” 

“Alright I have an idea Kai. I think you will like it better this way- It’s less likely that you will shoot yourself in the face.” Tyson giggled.

“I do like the idea of not shooting myself in the face…” 

Tyson pulled out.

“Alright Kai so flip yourself over.” 

Kai obeyed and flipped himself over and got on his knees and burrowed himself into the pillow with one arm outstretched in front of him so he could balance himself on his forearm. 

Tyson noticed how well practiced this position was for Kai.

“Alright so I’m going in again…” Tyson slid himself in with ease.

Slowly he started to thrust himself into Kai. Then with a little bit of force. Tyson reached around Kai and started to jerk him off.

“Ah! Fuck- Tyson!” Kai said it in a good way, which led Tyson to go faster and harder.

“Ah- Kai!” Tyson thrusted into him slower, then deeper, and slowly stopped there for a second, but then started to play with Kai as fast as possible. 

It was the waiting that made it feel so good for Kai.

“Ah! Ah- ah…” Kai could feel his whole body shaking and let himself collapse into the pillow after Tyson pulled out. 

Kai breathed heavily trying to get his breath back. He could hear Tyson messing with stuff, probably just cleaning himself up after, and he heard the slight zip of his zipper and he did his pants back up. 

Kai felt a weight on his back as Tyson crawled on top of him and nuzzled his head into Kai’s shoulder. 

“Was it good Kai?” 

“Oh god- It was insanely good. We will be doing that again.” 

Tyson played with Kai’s hair. 

“Good. But probably not anytime soon…” Tyson giggled and kissed his neck. 

Kai’s back was sweaty and made Tyson’s bare chest stick to it as he rearranged himself. 

“Tyson?”

“Yeah Kai?” Tyson wrapped his arms on either side of Kai.

“I just cleaned the bed sheets.” Kai laughed.

Tyson laughed too, “Don’t worry, I’ll clean them this time."


	48. Chapter 48: Baby Mio

Tyson had just got off the phone. Kai had been patiently sitting in the living room waiting for him to get off. 

“So that was Hilary…”

“How is she doing? Her due date is coming up soon right?” 

“Yeah. She has her own apartment and job. Her parents are still annoyed at her for keeping the baby. And since she doesn’t have her license she is too afraid to be alone. Her due date is in two weeks. So I offered for her to stay here with us. So we could drive her to the hospital when the time comes.” 

Kai looked terrified.

“That’s a good idea Tyson…”

Tyson sat down beside Kai on the couch.

“Are you afraid Kai?” 

“Only a little bit! How could you put me in that stressful of a situation!?” 

“It will be fine Kai! I’ll be here the days where she is going to have it-”

“But what if she has it before? Only I will be here!

“So you can drive?” 

“Not safely when there is a girl in my car having a baby!” 

Tyson sighed. “I’m sorry Kai but this was the best way to do it for her!”

“Okay! Fine Tyson. For Hilary.”

Tyson was at work and Kai and Hilary had decided to go for a walk along the pier. Hilary had been taking at least two walks a day. 

“I just want it out of me Kai. It’s been forever.” 

“Well I would want it out of me too. They’ve had a free ride long enough.” 

Hilary waddled at a slow pace. Kai kept up with her by walking slowly, if he was even walking at all. 

“Hah… Hang on Kai I need to stop!” 

“Stopping again? You’re sweating so much even though it’s freezing out here! You better be happy he’s going to be a late fall baby…” 

They both stopped while looking at the sun over the ocean. The cold wind coming off the water felt refreshing. 

“Kai you look incredibly handsome right now you know?” 

“I’m wearing all of Tyson’s clothes. I think you mean to say I look incredibly gay.” 

“That’s exactly what I mean. That’s one beautiful handmade scarf.” 

“Hey I used to wear scarfs all the time!”

“And you still looked like a major homosexual.”

“Hey!” 

They both laughed. 

Another middle aged couple came up the pier from the opposite side and eyed Hilary. The woman spoke first.

“You are so close! Is this your first?”

“Yes! I only have a week left!” 

“Wow! You look so good! You are really holding yourself together!” 

Kai looked to Hilary amazed. 

You mean she’s supposed to look worse than this!?

“Well you better take good care of her! She’s strong!” 

Kai was startled when he realized they were talking to him.

The man spoke up this time in a grumpy voice. “It’s hard to raise a baby alone in this economy, make sure she never leaves you!”

“She’s not my- oof!” Hilary had elbowed Kai in the side and got him to stop talking immediately. 

“Well it was nice talking to you guys! Bye!” Hilary walked past them dragging Kai along by the arm. 

They stopped once they were past them.

“Hilary why did you-”

“I don’t want people to know!”

“Know what!?” 

“That I’m a single parent!” 

“You’re not a single parent yet-”

“That’s not the point Kai! I’m going to be and it’s going to be hard! Once I realized I had the baby it was too late- and I couldn’t change anything-” 

Hilary started to get upset. Kai didn’t know what to do.

He knew he had been rude to her. It was the kind of situation Kai couldn’t even begin to visualize for himself. 

“It’s okay Hilary-” 

“Don’t say that- My parents hate me- My friends can’t be near me- You don’t even like me-”

“When did I say that…” Kai knew he was giving off the vibe, and he regretted it.

“You never said it- But I could feel it.” 

Hilary had tears start to flood her eyes. Kai knew she was strong now. She had probably been trying to avoid this the whole time. But there’s only so much one person could take. 

Kai reached forward and pulled her into a hug. He didn’t know what to do, it was the most he could do. 

“Don’t worry Hilary, none of it is your fault. Your parents are just bigots, the only reason your friends can’t be around is because they are so far away… and Tyson and I have had our own problems to deal with in the past few months, and we just didn’t want to get you involved… But that’s all over now, we can be here for you. We will help you when you need it. We could even babysit, I’m sure Tyson would love that.”

“Thanks Kai- That means a lot, you have no idea.”

Kai let her pull away.

“Let’s go home. We will make some food.” Kai suggested in the most calming, confident way possible. 

Hilary gave a happy expression, and for the first time in a long time, it felt genuine.

The next day started off simple. Kai and Hilary sat on the couch watching some bad soap operas, Tyson had just went to work a few hours before.

“Hey Kai?” Hilary turned towards him.

“Yeah?”

“You can drive right?” 

“Yes I can…” 

“I know you don’t really like to… I was hoping I could wait till Tyson got here but I don’t think I can-”

“Please don’t tell me your water just broke on my couch-” 

“No! I’m just in a lot of pain.” 

Kai inspected her from head to toe. She was very rigid, and was slightly wincing, but it didn’t seem that bad.

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes! I am sure!” Hilary yelled.

“Woah! Alright! Don’t get super angry-”

“Kai!” 

“Alright!” Kai leaped off the couch.

“What do I do?” 

“Tyson has a bag packed, it’s hidden under the kitchen table… Grab it for me!” 

Kai ran full pace into the kitchen and grabbed a large black bag from under the table. When he got back into the living room Hilary was hunched over, clearly in pain. 

I’ll get your shoes…” Kai suggested and ran to get them. 

He came back and thanked god they were slip on shoes. He slipped them on for Hilary. 

“Okay? Let’s go?” 

“Kai I can’t get up.”

Kai wanted to roll his eyes, but realized if she couldn’t get up she was in lots of pain, and she had been so strong up till now. 

He reached out his hand and helped her pull herself up. She held on to her stomach and made a noise clearly in pain.

She reached out her hand to stabilize herself on Kai’s shoulder. Kai held her there for a moment.

_This is it._

“Okay we have to go to the hospital right now.” 

They were finally on the road. Kai drove fast and managed to make it to the hospital in record time. 

He helped her out of the car and into emergency. 

He passed her off to the doctors.

Hilary reached out and grabbed his arm forcefully.

“No bitch you’re coming with me.”

Hilary was laying in the bed, she had refused any kind of meds so far, but Kai knew she would end up taking them. She was trying to sleep but stayed awake because of the pain. Kai had finally managed to text Tyson.

“Tyson says he will be here after work.”

“Good.” Hilary responded short and simple. 

When Tyson showed up things were already in motion. 

“I’m just going out to meet Tyson-”

Hilary grabbed onto Kai’s sleeve. 

“No you don’t- Don’t leave me-” 

“Okay.” Kai said sitting back down, “I’ll just text him the room number.”

Tyson was in the room now with Kai and Hilary. Kai sat on a stool next to Hilary since she refused to let him leave her side. Tyson sat on a chair further away. 

It was getting later into the night. 

“You know tomorrow’s the first of winter right?” Hilary, if you have the baby after twelve he will be a winter baby!”

Tyson said it to break the silence, but it did seem to cheer everyone up.

“Kai! You said it would be a fall baby! You lied!” 

Hilary sounded exasperated, Kai was impressed that she still kept her composure. 

“Hey I haven’t lied yet! We still have two hours.” 

It was after twelve when the delivery started. Kai was forced to sit and hold Hilary’s hand, he never took any of the classes with Hilary but he tried his hardest to help anyways.

He didn’t mind if it helped her. 

Tyson said he felt sick and had to leave the room. 

The baby was delivered and cleaned up with Hilary and placed in her arms. Only then did Tyson come back in.

Everyone felt and looked extremely tired, especially Hilary. 

“He’s a very healthy, cute baby boy.” One of the nurses pointed out.

They both looked down at him. He hadn’t opened his eyes yet, but kept moving his hands, so they could tell he was awake. 

“Kai I have no idea how you were here through the whole thing…” Tyson looked white as a sheet. 

“Well someone had to man up and stay with Hilary so I stepped up.” He teased Tyson. 

“They both sat on stools by the bed with Hilary and looked down at the baby. 

“Guys! He’s going to open his eyes!” Hilary’s eyes gleamed.

“How do you even know that-” Tyson joked.

Then the baby opened his eyes and looked up at Hilary. He had dark grey eyes that blinked several times to get used to the light. 

“Hi!” Hilary said while looking down at him. “I know it took a long time and I’m sorry… But you’re here now!” 

He opened his mouth and yawned. 

“Holy shit that was so cute-” Tyson cooed. 

“Tyson don’t swear around the baby!” Kai shot at him.

“Calm down Kai he doesn’t even understand. Plus we can swear around him we can just teach him it's not okay for him to do…” Hilary said softly while still looking at him.

“So what are you going to name him?” Tyson asked.

“I’ve been thinking about it…” Hilary contemplated for a while. 

They both leaned in while she thought.

“Mio.” 

There was a moment of silence.

“Hilary that’s a girl name!” Tyson exclaimed.

“No it’s not! And I think it suits him!” 

“Alright. Little Mio then. Can I hold Mio?” Tyson asked while outstretching his arms. 

“I think it’s only right if Kai holds him first. Since he was here the whole time.” Hilary glanced over to Kai and gently held Mio, and handed him to Kai. 

Kai lifted his hands defensively. 

“I have never held a baby let alone a newborn!-” 

“Come on Kai you can do it. He’s perfectly healthy, and big! Remember that’s what the doctors said-” 

“Okay! Fine!” Kai said defeatedly while outstretching his hands. 

Hilary sat up and carefully handed him over to Kai. She gave him step by step directions how to hold him and where. 

Kai ended up leaning back in the chair instead of the stool with his one leg crossed with Mio in his arms. He looked down at him for what seemed like ages. Mio looked up at him bright eyed. 

“Hilary why does he keep looking at me?” Kai asked without breaking eye contact with Mio. 

“Most babies don’t have their eyes open this much right after birth… I guess he’s just a special case. But he can’t really see you. Babies don’t see clearly when they are born. They can’t focus on faces. But he can recognize voices.” Hilary pointed out; she had clearly done her research.

Tyson sat beside Kai on another chair.

He put his arms towards Kai, “Can I hold him now?” 

Kai flinched back slightly with Mio in his arms defensively. “I just got him!” 

Tyson frowned. 

“Come on Kai. Sharing is caring.” Hilary giggled. 

Kai reluctantly passed Mio over to Tyson. 

“He is super cute... Hey don’t close your eyes on me! Why do you want to look at Kai but not at me! Not fair…”


	49. Chapter 49: Life Goes On

It had been a few months. 

Kai and Tyson were babysitting Mio for what seemed like their hundredth time. 

Kai was holding Mio and letting him jump up and down on his legs while sitting on the couch. 

“Hey Tyson… I’ve been thinking…”

“Hm?” Tyson looked up from some letters he was reading.

“I’ve been doing my research… It’s about what Hiro said. About Judy’s company, and Boris, and the Hiwatari company, and the BBA…” 

Kai looked at Mio. He had starting teething and had his fingers in his mouth and drooled all over Kai. But he was used to it by now. 

“What about it Kai?” Tyson completely ignored the letters and gave Kai his full attention. 

“I’ve been thinking about it for the past few months and- I don’t think my Grandfather or even Mr. Dickenson know- I just-” 

“Kai?”

Kai stopped bouncing Mio and he started to get upset that he stopped. So he kept going again.

“I think it’s about time I got my shit together Tyson.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Well I’m not working. But I could be. Should I?”

Tyson closed his eyes, “Kai just tell me exactly what you want to do.” He said impatiently.

“But that’s just the thing Tyson! I don’t want to-” 

“Kai.” Tyson opened his eyes, finally piecing together what Kai was trying to say. “You’ve been training your whole life to be a businessman of some sort. If you want to start working you can’t work a retail job, you can’t do anything that doesn’t suit you, a businessman is all you could do. So if you want to work a desk job at some random company you can do that, if you want to take your position in the Hiwatari company… Do it.” 

Kai stopped bouncing Mio again and held him, he was tired and cuddled against his chest.

“But I- I don’t want to work under my Grandfather-”

“You wouldn’t be working under him. Kai I think the only reason you don’t want to take the job is because you don’t want your Grandfather to ‘win’. But he wouldn’t be winning anything, and you wouldn’t be losing anything.” 

Kai looked nervous. 

“Kai, you should try. That way you won’t spend your whole life wondering what it would have been like.” 

It was a subject Tyson had always been thinking about. But overall he knew it was Kai’s choice, and he would respect whatever decision Kai made.

“Alright. I’ll try it."


	50. Chapter 50: Our Future Starts Now (Final Chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final Chapter! After this chapter I'll upload some random notes/ short stories that go alone with this specific fanfiction!

“What are we doing for Ray’s wedding?”

Kai addressed Tyson and Hilary in the living room after getting back from training at the company with his Grandfather. 

“First, how was work Kai?” Tyson asked while helping Mio walk towards Hilary while holding his hands. 

“It was good. I didn’t mind it at all. I know my Grandfather was surprised when I asked him if I could work… But he did a pretty alright job with me today… I didn’t get angry at him once, and he usually had me training with the president of the company.” 

“So you like it then?” Hilary asked curiously, she always liked to get into people’s business.

“Yes, I did enjoy it.” 

Tyson had Mio walking towards Hilary in no time and he looked up and beamed at Kai.

“I’m so happy you like it Kai!” 

“Me too.” Kai admitted, it felt good to finally know what it was like, and it didn’t weight on his chest. 

“So what are we doing for Ray’s wedding?” Kai asked again. 

“Well I assumed we were all going over there…” Hilary said casually. 

“What are we doing for a wedding gift?” Tyson sounded excited, he did love weddings. 

“No idea?” Kai had no idea how to even go about that. 

“We will figure something out…” Hilary said while getting Mio to balance again. 

The day finally came and they were getting on the flight. 

It was a long flight with Mio, but he only got upset once. 

They landed late in the afternoon. 

Ray was at the airport waiting for them. Max was already there with him, along with Kenny. 

When they finally found Ray in the crowd Ray came bounding up to them

“There’s my groomsmen and bridesmaid!” 

Tyson gave Ray a hug first, then Kai, then Hilary. Ray reached out to grab Mio.

“And my little flower boy!” He cuddled Mio into his chest hugging him. “He’s adorable Hilary!”

They took a car back to Ray’s village, where the wedding preparations had the whole place in a kerfuffle. 

Hilary took Mio to go find Miriah, and the guys went off to do their own thing. 

“Hey I want to show you guys where the wedding is going to take place! Come see!”

Ray had dragged them halfway up a mountain. 

“Jeez Ray how much further…” Tyson asked out of breath. 

“How are you guys tired?!” Ray turned around to judge them all.

“We don’t have… As much experience as you… You know- Climbing mountains.” Kenny joked. 

“Alright well good thing we are here!” Ray shouted excitedly.

There was a perfect clearing at a slope. It was large and could fit dozens of people, it overlooked the whole valley. 

Max was the first to compliment it, “Wow Ray it’s beautiful…” 

“I used to train here with my team all the time, then me and Miriah started coming by ourselves… So it kind of suits us… You know?” 

“That is adorable.” Tyson remarked. 

“Yeah… We have to start setting it up and planning it out for tomorrow!” Ray’s voice almost cracked from how excited he was.

Everyone groaned. 

“Guys! Come on you have to help!” 

After a long night of setting up chairs and ornaments on the top of the mountain that other villagers had brought up, everyone went to bed in Ray and Miriah’s house. 

For some reason, Kai’s cot was beside Max’s and not Tyson’s. 

“Hey Max, can we switch?” Kai nudged him after he had just laid down.

“You want to be by Tyson right?” 

“Mhm.” Kai nodded as if it was obvious. 

“That’s so you, alright.” 

They switched cots and blankets, and now Kai was beside Tyson, who looked to already be asleep. 

“Tyson. Tysoooon.” Kai whispered while poking him in the side.

“Whaaaat?” Tyson groaned and flipped himself over. “What is it Kai?” 

“Are you excited for tomorrow?” 

“Oh my god- Of course I am! If I could sleep!”

“Good night then Tyson.”

“Good night Kai, love you.”

“Can you two lovebirds shut up? Everyone's trying to sleep!” Ray yelled at them.

Hilary spoke up immediately “Shhh! You guy are going to wake!-” 

A soft baby whimper was heard throughout the darkness.

“Mio…”

“Oh god damn it.” Tyson put a hand over his face as Mio started crying. 

It was sunny on the day of the wedding. Hilary and Miriah were getting ready below the village. Ray and the guys were already climbing the mountain preparing for Miriah’s arrival. 

Hilary was helping her do up her traditional clothing. 

“I don’t understand how this fit better yesterday than today…” 

Miriah looked at her. 

“It’s like I’m fatter than I was yesterday?” 

“Well sort of! But not really…”

“I was a lot smaller when I first had it fitted too… But I am growing fatter by the day.”

“How come?” Hilary asked while trying to tie a knot behind her.

“Oh you know why… Do you know why we rushed the wedding?”

Hilary gasped, and her mouth hung open, “No! No you are not!” Then a big smile grew on her face. 

“Yeah… We already have a name picked out if it’s a girl…” 

“Yes! I’m so happy for you two!” Hilary shrieked in joy.

“But don’t tell anyone until after the wedding! It’s a very traditional village…”

“Makes sense! My lips are sealed!” Hilary pretended to sew her lips shut. She turned around and picked up Mio who was sitting on a mat playing with some blocks.

“You will love babies! What is the name you guys picked out!?” 

“Lin. Her name will be Lin Kon.” 

The wedding started off simple, but awkward. 

By the time the boys had climbed the mountain and set up Miriah showed up, and the guests had barely sat down. 

Kai felt awkward standing in front of everyone, but at least he was with his friends, but this is what he got when he signed up to be one of Ray’s groomsmen, and of course, his boyfriend had to be the best man. 

He thought it might have been Max, but Ray admitted that he had lost a lot of contact with Max when he moved to America; he had talked to Tyson more, so the answer seemed obvious.

Tyson tried his hardest to be the supportive best man but he couldn’t understand how the wedding worked for the life of him. 

It was a mixture of western and Ray’s tradition in his village, he couldn’t tell what the hell was happening. 

But in the end everyone was happy, and all was good.

They had an after party in the same place. The younger guests stayed while the older folks made the long trek back to the village. 

Everyone had moved the chairs out of the way to make a bigger clearing, someone had a wireless radio, and then the party was in full swing. 

The crowd was dancing, singing, and drinking. 

Kai had already noticed Miriah wasn’t drinking at all, he grinned when he noticed the answer was obvious. 

Tyson was the drunkest Kai had ever seen him. Kai was barely buzzed, even though Ray kept challenging him to drink again. Kai refused only because he wanted Ray as close to sober as possible on his wedding night.

Kai watched from the side all his friends bouncing and having fun. It was like they were all fifteen again the way they were acting, so childish, but so pure, Kai was overjoyed that they could still have these kinds of moments.

Kai was watching Tyson off in the distance. He stood on a chair and held his glass out to Max and said something Kai couldn't catch. Hilary approached Tyson and dragged him off somewhere Kai could not see. Kai was thrown out of his thoughts when he felt a tug on his shoulder.

“Hey Kai?” 

“Ray what’s up?”

“Can we talk in private?” 

“Sure?”

Kai found himself being dragged off from the party further up the mountain following Ray. 

The sound of the music and people talking drifted off, and the only sounds Kai could hear was the wind whistling through the thin bushes. 

Kai had never seen so many stars. 

He kept his hands in his pockets and continued to follow Ray in awe. 

Ray seemed anxious about something, Kai could read it by the way he walked, he was rigid and unfocused. 

They had made it to the top of the mountain, there was a small rocky clearing with a bush of thick trees behind them. 

They both stood beside each other and looked over the valley and at the stars. 

“What’s wrong Ray? I can tell there’s something on your mind.”

“Well… It’s nothing bad but- You know how… Mirah’s…”

“Pregnant right?”

“How did you know!?” 

“I just took a guess. Congratulations Ray.” 

Ray looked happy but turned away while a sour look grew on his face.

“What’s wrong Ray? Are you unhappy? Are you not ready?” Kai was confused, this seemed like the life Ray had always wanted. 

“Oh no it’s not that… It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. It’s just… She’s further along, and it’s super frowned upon in my village, we were going to wait for our wedding but…” 

Kai chuckled, “I completely understand.” 

“So I was just wondering…” Ray started off, then lowered his voice. “You and Tyson… Are literally fighting every force around you… It seems like the whole world could oppose you guys. So- How do you guys do it?” 

A slight breeze blew through Kai’s hair. He thought about it, opened his mouth like he was going to answer, and then closed it again. 

“I actually have no idea.” 

“Huh?” 

Ray sounded confused, yet angry at the same time. It caught Kai off guard.

“What Ray?”

“How could you say something like that? In the situation you’re in shouldn’t you have thought about it-”

“Ray calm down that’s not what I mean!” 

“Then what did you mean? Have you thought about it?-”

“Ray!” 

Kai yelled loudly enough to get Ray to stop freaking out. Kai understood that he was nervous and was venting to Kai unconsciously, he just needed to slowly work his way around it.

“My relationship with Tyson? Of course I’ve thought about it Ray.” 

Instead of looking at Ray Kai looked over the valley. 

Ray still felt confused.

“So how- After Russia, after everything you two have been through- Somehow it works out so well; why is that? And even after all that… You still don’t know-”

“I have ideas Ray. Theories at best- at how our relationship could go horribly… Or how one of us could get hurt- mostly Tyson.”

“And!?” 

Kai gave a side glance to Ray with crooked eyebrows, he couldn’t understand why Ray was trying to pick at him. 

“And there are hundreds of ways everything could shatter…” 

“You aren’t scared?” Ray asked in a softer more understanding tone.

Kai sighed and closed his eyes briefly.

“You know during high school… I liked him a lot. But you know why I didn’t do anything?” 

“How come?” Ray inched closer to him for support if needed. 

“I was scared, terrified. What if my Grandfather found out? What if you guys knew and disapproved?” Kai put his hands in his pockets awkwardly, “I think I liked him for a long time before that… But I couldn't tell, and had a hard time expressing it…”

“That could have been why you were so closed off.” Ray suggested.

“It could have been… But- When I went away for school- In England…”

Kai trailed off and took a deep breath. 

“It was horrible. I have only felt so isolated, sad, angry, and closed off one other time and then… I just couldn't take it anymore. That’s when I ran away to Russia.”

Ray opened his mouth and grew another furious expression, Kai stopped him before he could talk. 

“Don’t get me wrong Ray. I never stopped thinking of Tyson. Not once. Not in England, and not in Russia. Every night I would sleep, or whenever I would get sleep he was all I could think about.”

“What… Did you think about?”

“Everything. What he was doing. What would have been different if I had stayed. Sleeping with him, kissing him, and everything all at once. I constantly felt like my chest was being torn open.” 

“How did you live with it?” 

“I tried to make up for the lost emotional contact with physical contact… but no matter how much sex I had it wasn’t enough. It never gave me the same feeling that kissing Tyson that day had felt. So I guess… I couldn’t live with it.”

There was silence for a while. Ray looked towards Kai, and then back into the distance when he remembered Kai didn’t do well with eye contact.

“So Kai… You’ve never told me- How did Tyson find you? Where did he find you?”

“He… My Grandfather asked for his help.” Kai scoffed, he accidently let out a grin. “It’s so funny that… Without both of them I wouldn’t be here right now. I’ve never thanked my Grandfather for anything…” 

“Where did they find you?” Ray emphasized his question. 

Kai swallowed a hard lump in his throat.

“I- He-” Kai took a deep breathe and let it out, he figured it was time someone knew. “Tala phoned him. Just in time- I was about to jump off a roof-” 

Kai felt a hard stone get stuck in his throat, the awkward silence was almost unbearable. 

Kai could feel his whole face burning. He didn’t know where else to go from there.

“All I wanted to do was die. I heard Tala’s voice- Then my Grandfather’s- I had just got beat up and hit in the head several times I don’t even remember… Then I heard Tyson’s voice…” Kai started to choke up. “That’s all I needed. I guess you could say he saved me.” 

Kai exhaled loudly, like he was letting out a poison that had been stuck for so long. He hoped desperately the wind would dry his eyes.

“I had no idea you were that far gone…” Ray shifted his body side to side uncomfortably, Kai had just remembered he was slightly drunk. 

“Ray… To answer your question. Tyson and I have jumped so many hurdles to get to where we are. And now everything feels so worth it. I’ve never been more happy in my entire life that I am with him. The only way we’ve been able to make it through… To fight everyone who’s opposed us, just to be with each other- It’s because I love him. Because we love each other. And we will continue fighting. We want to have children, we want to start a family, we want to live together for the rest of our lives and if that means I have to fight people again… The way I fought Frederick or Tyson’s brother, I will. So yes Ray, you and Miriah can do this. Whether you have to leave the village or China entirely you can do it.”

Ray hadn’t said anything for a long time. Kai looked over to his side to look at him expecting to see him crying but instead he was grinning.

“Ray? What’s- Huh?” 

When Kai had looked to his side he saw someone behind him.

Tyson and Hilary were both standing a few yards behind him.

Tyson was choking back tears. 

Kai turned his body all the way around.

“Tyson!? How long have you been there!?” 

Kai’s eyes were huge and he stared at Tyson in shock.

“A long time Kai- Since almost the beginning…”

“Are you kidding me…” Kai muttered while walking towards Tyson.

Tyson ran up to him and Kai embraced him in a massive hug. 

“Did you really mean all that?” Tyson mumbled into Kai’s shoulder.

“Tyson I can’t hear you when-” 

Hilary nodded to Ray. Ray regrouped with her and they started to walk away. Ray raised his hand to Kai.

“Thanks for the wedding gift Kai!” 

“What? What gift?”

Ray gestured to both of them. “This!” 

Kai rolled his eyes as the two walked off. 

They continued to hold each other for what felt like ages. 

“Hey Tyson… Did Ray do this on purpose?” 

“Probably…” Tyson’s voice still cracked.

“Wow you were crying pretty hard weren’t you?” 

“Shut up, Kai.” 

Kai laughed and kissed Tyson’s forehead. 

“Kai, did you mean all that?”

“Of course.”

“Could you say it again?”

“God you’re so needy.”

Kai pushed him away and held his hands while staring Tyson in the eyes.

“Tyson, I love you. We want to make a future together, and we will. That future will be amazing… I will make sure nothing gets in our way… My Grandfather? My company? Your brother or father… I’ll take them all down if I have to…”

“Okay Kai calm down.” Tyson laughed it off.

Kai pulled Tyson towards him and kissed him on the lips. Tyson wrapped his arms around Kai’s shoulders. 

They pulled away still holding their position but their faces were a few inches apart. 

“I love you, Tyson-”

“I love you too, Kai-”

“It’s not a contest!” Kai grinned and kissed him gently again. 

“I love you Tyson, and we will start a future together, and that future starts now.” 

-Ressyfaerie July 26, 2016


	51. Extras (Blurb 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congratulations you've reached the end! When I wrote this 4 years ago it just WASN'T ENOUGH! So I wrote random scenes that gave me inspiration, there's no beginning or end. It revolves around the future with Kai and Tyson's kids Makoto, Goh, and Ren. It technically takes place in the same AU as this dark fic, but the family idea of the kids and family is parallel to the original fanfiction (although there wasn't anything about their kids in the original fic so this one goes further into the future). I hope you enjoy!

**“The last time you prayed it was before your parents, and before the abbey; when you still believed in god.”**

_-Voltaire Hiwatari to Kai Hiwatari_

**“I went to Boris’ (Bryan’s) funeral. There were a few other guys from the Abbey there. A few months later I went to Sergei’s funeral; I was the only one attending.”**

_-Tala Valkov about their teammates and the Abbey_

“I’m going to be leaving early today.”

“That’s not like you sir-” 

“Yeah I know. I finished everything up early, so there’s nothing to stay for anyways.” 

“You will get stuck in after school traffic if you go at this time sir-”

“Well I have to go pick up my kids anyways so it’s not an issue.” 

“Oh you have children sir? I had no idea you were even married…”

“Yes, I have three.”

“Three kids?! I didn’t even know you had one-”

“Yes, three boys. They are a handful.” 

Kai sighed as he stood up from his chair. 

His office was open and large. The windows looked over a large portion of the city; after all the Hiwatari building was one of the tallest buildings, at the center of the city of course. He stood and looked out the window in the direction where the boys school would be. 

Kai didn’t usually pick them up. But since Tyson was busy at work today at the café working overtime he offered to pick them up. 

Kai had told Tyson he didn’t have to work in the winter since he was working himself, but Tyson refused, saying he felt too useless in the winter, and there was nothing to do during the mornings when the boys were at school anyways. 

So after work Tyson picked up the boys and then Kai would come home after work.

It was a peaceful life. The boys were happy, Tyson and Kai overjoyed, and everything fit together so well.

Of course they still encountered many hurdles. 

Which was why they still had to lie to conceal the truth of their family. 

Goh, Makoto, and Ren had no problem with their two dads, it had always felt normal for them. But they were still too young to understand why it was different. 

Ren was the quietest, Tyson said it was his personality, but Kai knew it was because he was adopted. He was used to being raised by his single mom, he never even thought two men could be together. It took a while for Ren to get comfortable in his new home after he was abandoned at the dojo after one of Tyson’s classes. 

Tyson and Kai liked Ren, so they decided to legally adopt him under Tyson’s name instead of letting the system take him, Ren's mom never came back. 

Kai was snapped out of his thoughts when his assistant started talking to him again.

“Sorry?”

“I asked how old are they sir?” 

“My oldest is 9, then 8, and my youngest just turned 7.” 

“So they are young, that’s nice, you should leave soon! Enjoy it while it lasts.” 

Kai turned around to look at his assistant, his assistant looked to the ground uncomfortably. 

“S-sir…” 

“Do I look that scary? You don’t have to call me sir all the time.”

“Sorry Sir- Well you should get going soon sir or else you won’t make it to the school in time… Sir.”

“Shit you’re right!” 

Kai quickly buttoned up his top button and raced out of his office, quickly saying goodbyes to his other assistants and rushing down the elevator to the parkade. He whizzed out of the building in his black Mercedes with much practice. He had tons of practice driving from going back and forth to work and occasionally picking up the kids. 

And Kai’s assistant was right.

He was caught in rush hour traffic going to the kids school. 

He knew he was going to be late, he was often late when picking them up from the office. The first time they were upset but now it was a regular thing. 

So he didn’t bother phoning the school. 

As an added bonus there were a lot of cops around, and Kai had no interest in being pulled over because he was on his phone. 

When he finally made it to the school the stranglers had already been picked up, and he was over ten minutes late. 

Kai parked, closed the doors, and walked towards the playground where he could hear familiar voices. 

_There they are._

Ren played alone in the sandbox, using a shovel to pick up sand and pour it all over himself. Makoto was trying to swing across on the monkey bars, and he kept falling off, and starting over and over again from the same side. Goh was sitting cross legged on the top of the playground with a sketchbook laid across his legs, he had got into Kai’s old habit of sketching in his spare time. 

Kai plopped himself down on a bench before making himself known. 

“Alright guys whenever you’re ready to go!” 

Goh looked up and went back to his sketching. Makoto nodded to him and went back to trying to conquer the monkey bars. Ren stood up immediately, dropped the shovel, and made no effort to brush the sand off his pants. 

Ran awkwardly waddled over to Kai aimlessly. 

“Ren look at yourself, how did you manage to get this sandy? Turn around it’s all over you.” 

Kai started to brush off the sand with his hand, he started with Ren’s back, then his pants. 

“Um hello?” 

Kai heard an uncomfortable high pitch voice behind him. When he turned around there was a middle aged woman. She moved herself over so she was in front of Kai.

“I’ve never seen you around the school before…” 

“I’m just picking up my kids, although I am a little late.” Kai smiled.

“You’re kids?” She gave off a bit of attitude, Kai didn’t like it.

“Yeah my kids.” Kai said without even thinking. 

“You’re not their father, their father picks them up everyday from school.” 

Kai felt the immediate panic in his chest.

The woman turned to Ren, “Is this man your father?”

“He’s not _my _father.” Ren answered back in his emotionless tone, which didn’t help Kai’s situation.__

____

____

“Ren!” Kai tried to scold him under his breath. 

“What’s your name mister?” The woman asked while reaching out a hand to Ren.

Ren refused her hand and backed up closer to Kai. Kai knew he would, he wasn’t sociable with people he didn’t know well. 

“And who are you to my kids!?” Kai’s anger got the best of him in this situation. 

_You are not taking my kids away from me!_

“For your information I’m their teacher, and I need to make sure they make it home okay. They will wait here with me until their real father Tyson comes and picks them up.” 

Kai scowled. 

“Can’t I-”

“No.” 

The teacher was stern, and straight to the point. 

“Fine. Will a phone call from Tyson do?” Kai tried to wipe the rude tone from his voice, he couldn’t.

“No, I want to see him here, picking them up and taking them home.” 

“Fine.”

Kai got up from the bench and angled himself away from the woman and Ren. He pulled out his phone and dialed Tyson’s number. It rang and there was no answer. So Kai ended the call and tried a new phone number. He felt flustered because he felt useless and he was making a fool of himself in front of this woman. He phoned the café and a warm welcoming voice picked up the phone.

“Tyson! It’s me Kai. I’m at the school but the teacher won’t let me take the kids home. I guess I can’t prove that they're mine or whatever. But she’s being stubborn- oh you’ll be here soon then? Great, see you soon.” 

Kai turned back around and walked up to the teacher who was trying to talk to Ren with a serious expression, Ren was looking like he was about to get upset.

“That was Tyson, he will be here as soon as possible.” 

Kai looked down at Ren and reached a hand forward about to talk to him to calm him down, but the lady put a hand in front of him. 

“We’re going to go to the office to check some paperwork, you can come into the school to get them once you have Tyson here.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“You heard me. I’ll check to see if your name is on any of the children’s records, what was your name again?” 

“Kai.” Kai growled while clenching his fists.

“And your last name?” 

“It won’t be on any of the records anyways-”

“For someone who claims to be these kid's father figure you seem to get angry quickly in front of them.” 

Goh and Makoto suddenly came bounding up to Kai, he knew this was his chance to make his case, but the teacher stopped him in his tracks. 

“Makoto! Goh! We’re going to the office, I have something for you there before your father picks you up.” 

Kai couldn’t help but watch helplessly as his children were dragged away from him back into the school. She managed to hold Makoto’s hand and lead him back into the school, when she tried to reach out to Goh and Ren they both pulled away. 

Goh looked back to Kai with a confused expression, Kai smiled at him and mouthed the words ‘I love you’, he just hoped he understood. 

Kai sat back down on the bench angrily. He kicked the ground. He undid the buttons on his suit and pulled down his tie. The air felt cool on his neck and he managed to take a deep breath and calm down a little bit. 

_It’s not fair._

Kai let his head fall to the ground and let himself hang there loosely for a while. 

He felt a gentle tap of his shoulder, and he flung around instantly. 

“Woah cowboy! Calm down! I came as fast as I could!” Tyson had his hands in the air defensively, and still wore his black dress shirt which was covered in sugary dust.

“Oh thank god-” Kai reached over the bench he was sitting on to give Tyson a tight hug. 

His anger instantly melted, now that Tyson was here he felt in control again. 

Kai let go and slid off the bench, He walked with Tyson towards the school in unison, they both knew where they were going. 

“So why wouldn’t she let you pick up the kids?” Tyson asked confused.

“Well I said I was their father… But she thinks you’re their father… She wouldn't let me take them.” 

Tyson knew even without looking at Kai that he was upset about it, he understood though, he would be too. 

“Although I can kind of see where she’s coming from though…” Tyson gestured while looking themselves up and down. 

Kai was confused but then understood. 

“I guess you’re right Tyson. You in your waiter uniform picking up your kids everyday, and then I come along in an expensive suit claiming they are also my kids- It does seem a little funny doesn’t it?” 

They laughed as they walked into the school, this time Kai had confidence now that Tyson was there. 

Tyson knew the way to the office all by himself. 

Kai followed. 

When Tyson waltzed into the office Makoto was the first to hop up from a chair.

“Dads!” 

And in that moment both Tyson and Kai knew they were royally screwed. 

The principal was sitting there with the teacher Kai had talked to in front of the boys who were on smaller chairs in front of the desk. 

Ren has tears streaming down his face, and Goh was white as a ghost. Makoto however was his usual uplifted self. 

Makoto ran up to Tyson and launched himself towards him and glued himself to his stomach. 

“Dad you smell like plums! What were you baking?” 

Tyson giggled at Makoto and stroked his head through his scruffy hair. 

Kai kneeled down and opened his arms towards Ren who jumped off the chair and bolted towards Kai. Kai caught him in his arms and stood back up with Ren sobbing into his shoulder. 

“It’s okay Ren it’s fine.” Kai shushed him while rocking him back and forth. 

Kai could barely catch what Ren was saying through sobs and heaving, “I- Thought- you weren’t coming back- and I got-” Ren sniffed and Kai let the snot run down his shoulder, “I- was- scared!” Then Ren broke down into Kai’s shoulder. Kai covered Ren’s head with his hand and gently patted him while moving gently side to side. 

“Hush Ren it’s fine… Ssshh… I’m here. I’m right here.” 

Goh was the last to stand up. He was always the strongest, he took after Kai, but that just meant Tyson knew his personality better than anyone. 

Once Tyson peeled Makoto off he walked over to Goh and opened his arms. Goh wasted no time in throwing himself into Tyson’s stomach. Tyson could feel him lightly shaking. 

“Sorry it took so long for me to get here guys.” 

Tyson apologized more to his kids that to the principal or the teacher but the principal stood up first. 

“It’s alright Tyson, we didn’t mind waiting, we just wanted to know that the kids arrived home safe.” 

Tyson shot them a glare. 

“Why didn’t you guys let Kai take them home?” Tyson started off nicely, but stern. 

“Well we-” 

“Isn’t he written down as their second contact, and emergency contact, is he not?” 

Kai gave the teacher a mean glance. 

“Well-” The teacher tried desperately to defend herself, “He wouldn’t give me his last name- and in such a prestigious school…” 

“What she is trying to say-” This time the principal butted in, “Is that she wasn’t sure if Kai was the secondary contact or not, we have no pictures of him on record, just a first name. We felt it was unsafe to let the kids go with him without confirming with the primary contact first.” 

“I understand where they are coming from Tyson.” Kai made a point with a calm demeanor this time while still holding Ren. “I wouldn’t want just anyone to be able to pick up the boys… It’s just a security measure, which I am okay with. But we should probably update the paperwork so people know I’m a primary contact as well.” 

Tyson nodded in agreement. The only reason he didn’t put Kai down as a primary contact was to reduce the risk of suspicion. Now there was no point when the truth was already out. 

“So you want to update the paperwork now then?” The principal said while rearranging a folder on the desk. 

“Yes.” Tyson answered simply. 

The principal sat back down with a pen and opened the folder. She glanced at Kai before looking back down to the paper. 

“We already have your cell number, and first name. What’s your occupation?” 

“Sales.” 

Tyson could feel Kai putting his shields up already. 

“If I could have your office number that would be great-”

Kai reluctantly gave her the number to his office and explained that one of his assistants would be answering and just to ask for him. 

“And your last name?”

Kai hesitated briefly. 

“Granger.” 

The principal looked up at him over her glasses, “That can’t be your last name as well.” 

“It is.” 

She sighed, Kai didn’t like her attitude either. 

“Mister… Kai… You must have a maiden last name then, what is it?” 

“Why do you need it so badly?” Kai growled. 

“Why are you dodging so much to hide your identity?” The principal kept a cool expression. 

Tyson sighed and placed a hand gently on Kai’s shoulder. 

“Kai just give it up already.” Tyson looked to the principal, “As you have probably already have guessed, Kai and I are married. Because of Kai’s embarrassing last name he took on my name. Either way if he has the same last name as us he makes a more convincing primary contact, am I right?” 

The principal nodded her head. Tyson was right. 

“Well that’s all the information I’m going to need to update your profile. Now you will be able to come and pick up your kids without a problem, we are sorry for the inconvenience, good day.” 

The principal went back to her work and the teacher was left to awkwardly stare at Kai and Tyson, blinking a few times. 

Kai and Tyson left the room silently.


	52. Extras (Blurb 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long chapter. I didn't want to make a bunch of chapters only 2 pages each lol, it's about Ren and how he got into the family.

It was a lazy, beautiful, and sunny afternoon, the day Ren was abandoned at the Dojo. 

Ren was always one of Tyson’s most motivated students. He would show up with an emotionless expression, and then be smiling as soon as he held a kendo sword. 

Today was no exception. 

Goh and Makoto always attended their father’s classes of course. They made friends with all the other kids. They tried to make friends with Ren, but he was quiet and rarely approachable. 

He had only attended Tyson’s classes for a few months, but he showed up for every class that his mother could get him too. 

And it took time but eventually Makoto managed to break through his walls. 

They both practiced together often, and Tyson was glad they got along well. 

Today was no exception. 

It was a regular day. 

Even Ren’s mom being excessively late was normal. 

And he waited.

Tyson sat beside him in the dojo as they waited. 

Tyson left the room and phoned his mom, the number didn’t exist. 

And they waited. 

Tyson let Ren stay for dinner, he gobbled it down as if he hadn’t ate in days. 

And then he sat on the couch and waited. 

Makoto and Goh went to bed and Kai and Tyson sat with Ren on the couch in the living room. The volume was on low and you could hear crickets from outside. The night was warm and strangely relaxing. And they waited. 

“She’s not showing up is she?” 

Ren looked to the ceiling. Tyson wanted to answer, but he knew he wasn’t talking to him. 

Kai sat up and walked to the kitchen, he came back with some paper and pencils crayons. 

He kneeled on the floor in front of Ren. Tyson was overwhelmingly confused. 

“It’s okay Ren. For now we will just wait. Do you want to draw with me?” 

Ren hesitated, but then slipped off the couch and sat on the floor with Kai. Wordlessly he picked up a blue crayon and started to dab the paper with it. 

He dotted the paper with force, but was still gentle. He continued to do it for minutes. He used different vibrant colours and made a collage of dots. 

Tyson sat on the ground too with Kai and they both had a paper to themselves and drew too. 

Kai heard a slight sniffle come from Ren. Tyson and Kai both gave him his space. He sat up and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. His sleeve was ragged and old, Tyson wondered why he hadn’t noticed before. 

Kai inched himself closer to Ren. 

“Ren?” 

Ren suddenly started bawling. It wasn’t his fault, he had been trying to hold it back for so long. Kai let his hand fall on Ren’s shoulder and Ren rolled himself into Kai’s lap and cried in his chest for ages. 

Tyson managed to catch Kai’s glance, his eyes were soft and wet. 

“Kai? I’m going to call the station…” 

“Good plan.” Kai started to stroke Ren’s hair with his spare hand trying to calm him down. 

When Tyson came back into the room Ren was still crying, but it wasn’t as intense.

Goh was standing on the top of the stairs sitting down holding on to the railing, when Tyson noticed it looked like he had been there a while.

“Is Ren going to be alright?” 

“Ren will be fine, but you should go back to bed Goh.” Tyson smiled at Goh who obediently followed his father’s command and started to climb the stairs back to his bedroom. 

Eventually Ren stopped crying and fell limp in Kai’s arms. 

“He’s asleep.” Kai whispered to Tyson.

“Finally. It took him long enough.” 

“He’s worried Tyson!” 

There was a soft knock on the door. 

When they opened it there were two police officers. 

They explained the situation and they decided to investigate, and fill out a missing person’s report. 

“If she doesn’t show up we will have to take the child-”

“No!” 

Tyson jumped up from the couch they had all huddled around on. 

Kai was climbing down the stairs after putting Ren to sleep in their bedroom. 

“What’s happening?!” Kai could detect Tyson’s distress.

“They want to take Ren away if his mom is actually missing!” 

Tyson looked panicked, Kai could almost see the sweat running down his face.

“Where would he be going? If his mother is missing?” 

“Foster care, or an orphanage, whatever the system decides is right for him.”

“The system?” Tyson scoffed. 

Ren woke up the next day in an unfamiliar place. It was comfy though, but he had no idea where he was and sat up with a start in a daze. 

“It’ okay Ren! Tyson and I are right here, just go back to sleep. You must be tired.” Kai said hazily in a raspy voice. 

Ren felt around him and realized he was trapped in on both sides by Kai and Tyson on a large bed. 

Kai was expecting them to go back to sleep but he heard their bedroom door slowly creak open.

He felt a hard flop on the bottom of their bed.

“Hey! Why can Ren sleep with you guys but I can’t!?” 

“Makoto it's seven in the morning!-” Kai yelled back at him. 

Kai felt a soft face burrowing its way through the sheets and rubbing against Kai’s face.

“Makoto! This is not an appropriate time for cuddling!-” 

“But daaaaaaaaaaad!”

Kai could feel another soft pawing by his feet he looked down to see some darker silver hair climbing up his legs.

“It’s me.”

Goh managed to squeeze his way on to the opposite side of Kai Makoto was on and cuddled against him accidentally jabbing his elbow into Kai’s chest.

“Ow!” Kai gave off an exasperated sigh, but still felt strangely content. 

He felt tiny padding climb up and scurry on to the bed.

Makoto screeched, “Look it’s Ash, Draco, and Nika!”

They weren’t kittens anymore, and they took up almost all the room Kai had on the bed.

“Tyson how are you still sleeping through this?” Kai rolled his eyes and then groaned in pain as Nika sat on his chest.

“Okay everyone time to stop beating up your father…” Tyson said as he flipped over and leaned on his hand propping up his head. 

“You were awake this whole time?!” Kai grinned playfully. 

“Yep.” Tyson smiled back, “I just pretended to be asleep so I wouldn’t get beat up…” Tyson sat up and slid off the bed. He turned around, “Ren did you sleep well?” 

Ren was unintentionally sprawled across the space that used to be in between Kai and Tyson.

“Y-yes!” Ren did sleep well, he told the truth. It was peaceful and he was warm, he rarely had the heat on in his house. 

“Great! I’m going to make some pancakes.”

“Oh it’s Sunday!” Makoto blurted out. “My dad sometimes makes pancakes on Sundays and they are the best! You will love them!” 

Ren sat up and rubbed his eyes. Kai was still pinned down by kids and cats. 

“Have you heard anything about my mom yet?” 

Kai felt his whole face melt, “sorry Ren we haven’t heard anything… But I will tell you right away if we do, okay?” 

“Okay…” Ren scrunched up the sheets in his fists beneath him. 

They all made their way down the stairs in a group. The boys huddled around the kitchen table and Kai fed the cats. Tyson only started serving food after Kai had sat down. He placed pancakes on the kids plates while Makoto shrieked in happiness. He served Kai last, he gave him a peck on the cheek while pulling away. 

Kai reached forward to grab a knife and fork when he noticed Ren’s face.

He wasn’t disgusted, and he wasn’t angry about it either, he just looked confused. 

Kai forgot how regular it was for Goh and Makoto, they grew up with their two dads; but the likelihood of Ren seeing two men together was slim to none. This was probably the first time Ren had ever seen two men in a relationship. 

“Dad, can you please pass the syrup?” Goh always had manners, Kai easily slid the container over to him. 

“He’s your dad too?” Ren asked slightly confused. 

“Yeah?” Goh scrunched up his eyebrows.

Ren lowered his head as if he was cowering, he felt like Goh made him feel stupid. 

“Yeah-” Makoto started with a mouth full of pancake, “Tyson is our dad, and Kai is our dad too.”

“That’s not… weird to you guys?” Ren mumbled with his head still lowered.

At this point Tyson had sat down at the table as well and had started to dig in.

“It’s not weird at all. What is weird about it?” Goh addressed Ren before Makoto could open his big mouth.

Kai and Tyson sat back and watched. They never had the opportunity to listen to what their son’s had to say about their relationship to an outsider. 

They always knew Goh was the most level-headed out of the two, but Kai knew he wasn't just acting to throw Ren and Makoto off, he legitimately believed their family was completely average. 

“Two men aren’t usually together…” Ren pointed out the fact as if it was obvious. 

Kai and Tyson held their tongues, they both hoped this wouldn’t break the bubble Goh and Makoto were living in. 

“Why not?” Makoto asked with a dumbfounded expression. 

“My mom used to say… It’s cause they can’t have babies.” Ren’s eyes darted around the room as if he knew he was saying something blasphemous in this house. 

“They had us just fine?” Goh picked up his juice and sipped it with a kind of elegance you wouldn’t expect from an eight year old. 

Kai couldn’t help but grin, he was proud of his son for fighting for him.

Ren nodded. You could see his tiny little brain working. He had always thought there was something wrong with it, but now he couldn't see a reason why. Thinking about it made the gears in his head move at top speed. 

Ren has been staying with them for about a week at this point. He kept sleeping beside Tyson and Kai in their bed. Tyson wouldn’t let himself make Ren sleep alone in the spare bedroom downstairs. This made Makoto and Goh a little jealous, since they had been banned from sleeping with Kai and Tyson for years. 

Kai was at work when child services came to the door. 

Goh and Makoto were at school, but Tyson had been staying at home with Ren during the day to work around the house and set up classes. He had grown a bond with Ren, and he knew Kai had too. 

He could sense that Ren knew something was very wrong when his mother had been missing for a week. 

Tyson had sent Ren to the dojo to set up for their next class, and the man and woman sat down on the couch with him. 

“So what have we found out about Ren’s mom?” 

Tyson wanted to know everything. 

It was the women who spoke up.

“We assume it is abandonment. Although if it is she made a huge effort to make it look unintentional. But the police followed her tracks and lost her at an airport.”

Tyson sighed. “So what will happen to Ren?” 

“He will be placed into foster care.” 

Tyson felt a shock climb up his spine. 

“Foster care? Like a foster home?” 

The lady nodded her head. 

“Is it a nice foster home?” Tyson felt his head whirling. 

“All our foster homes are routinely scanned. They are all safe.” 

“How will he… Get out?” 

“He is a cute talented kid. He should be adopted in no time.” 

It was hard for Tyson to imagine him being adopted right away. He had taught him for a long time and he knew Ren’s personality. He was talented at kendo, but Tyson didn’t know what else would be appealing in Ren. Tyson didn’t want to admit that deep inside he knew Ren wasn’t going to be adopted for a long time. 

What was worse was the feeling that Tyson didn’t want to give him up.

He didn’t want him to feel abandoned, again. 

“What if!-” Tyson started off lifting up his head with a glimmer in his eyes. 

The lady gave off a confused glare.

“Could I adopt him?” 

“You’ll have to fill out forms-”

“I’ll do it!” 

“But it might take a few days for them to get officially approved. We will have to take Ren in that time.” 

Tyson could feel a dark sinking feeling in his chest. 

“I’ll still do it.” 

The man reached into a black suitcase and pulled out a bunch of official looking forms. 

Tyson started filling them out. 

They kept asking him questions about his kids and family life, but they already knew from his house and the fact that he was a kendo teacher that he would have no problem being scanned. 

They didn’t ask him a single question about his spouse. Tyson liked to think they thought he was a single parent. 

“Are you raising your kids alone? We will need a second signature if you have a spouse.” 

_Shit._

Tyson wasn't stupid. He knew that gay parents were less likely to be able to adopt. 

“I- am in a relationship. But we aren’t married-” 

“Alright. You’ll have to fill out another single parent form.” 

“Alright…”

Tyson felt dirty lying about Kai and his children. He never liked doing it, but it was another hurdle he had to jump. 

Ren came out of the dojo after Tyson was filling out forms. He had almost finished. 

“Tyson. I finished setting everything up...” 

Ren looked at the two people dressed in black sitting on the couches and took a step back. 

“Ren it’s okay, come over here.” Tyson padded the couch beside him and Ren took another step back. 

“I don’t wanna leave…” Ren’s face started to turn red as he took another step back. 

Tyson got up off the couch without hesitation. “Ren…” 

“No! No no no no no…” Ren started to shake his head and backed himself into the wall.” 

“Ren it’s okay you aren’t leaving for long-” Tyson turned around the couch and tried to walk towards Ren.

“Don’t lie!” 

Ren turned and bolted into the kitchen. Tyson tried to chase after him, he didn’t want to scare him but he didn’t want him to leave the dojo or worse, to the street. 

“Ren!”

Tyson had made it into the kitchen and heard the loud steps of the social workers behind him, he saw Ren’s shadow disappear out the sliding paper door on to the porch. 

He slid out of the kitchen door with practice and could faintly hear the sound of light footsteps disappear behind the bushes of the koi pond. 

Tyson pointed to the workers. “You guys stay here. I’ll get him.”

Tyson slowly walked behind the bushes and found Ren sitting in a small clearing with his head in his knees crying. 

Tyson knew he wouldn’t run this time. He sat down beside Ren and wrapped an arm around him. 

Ren managed to gasp between sobs, “I- Don’t- Want- to- leave-!”

Tyson sighed.

“You wanna know a secret?” 

Ren tried to wipe his nose with his sleeve and looked up at Tyson.

“What?”

“I won’t let you be gone for too long.” Tyson grinned. 

Ren did look happier.

“Why do I have to leave then?” 

“The grownups have some paperwork to do. You’re not allowed to stay with me until it’s done. But when it’s done, you will come right back. Okay?” 

“Okay…” Ren reluctantly agreed, but he trusted Tyson. 

“Alright, put your hands around my neck.” 

Ren wrapped himself around Tyson, Tyson sat up holding him in his arms. He walked around the bush to the social workers. The woman opened her arms and Tyson gently handed Ren over to her. 

She introduced herself by name. 

The man talked to him over her shoulder.

“It’s okay you won’t be gone long.” 

Kai came home that night to only two kids in the house. Goh and Makoto were playing in the backyard. 

Tyson was sitting in the kitchen writing something on paper. 

Kai came in unbuttoning his suit and undoing his tie. 

“Ren’s gone?” He asked in a soft voice. 

“Y-yeah. They took him but- I probably did something I shouldn’t have…” 

Kai sat down at the table, “Tyson what did you do?”

“I filled out some forms… To adopt Ren- I know I’m sorry- I should have asked you first but- It was just in the moment and- he was so scared- I’m sorry Kai.” 

Kai didn’t say anything, but sat motionless staring at Tyson, not even blinking. 

Tyson closed his eyes and let his head fall on to the table. 

“I’m sorry Kai.”

“Lift your head up Tyson.” 

Tyson shot up immediately. 

“You only did it because I was thinking the exact same thing.” Kai grinned, “I just wish I was here to watch you fill out the forms, knowing you you screwed up somewhere.” 

Tyson laughed, “I probably did! So- You have no problem with it then?” 

Kai shook his head. “No. He needed somewhere to go. Somewhere he knew. Here is the best option. I just hope our family is the best option for him…” 

Tyson nodded in agreement. 

“Although three kids Tyson? Really? Do you think we can do it?” 

“Tyson stood up dramatically from the table. “Oh yes, of course we can. Goh and Makoto are good kids, and so is Ren, now we have a full household! All our rooms are filled up!” 

“So he’s taking Tala’s old room downstairs then?”

“Yes! We should get it all set up for him.” 

It didn’t take a whole lot of explaining to Goh and Makoto what was happening. They were excited to have Ren in their family. 

So Tyson and Kai were going to pick up Ren from the foster home alone, but Makoto and Goh insisted on tagging along too. 

As soon as they walked into the home Tyson introduced himself and a dark flash came bolting at him full pace from around the corner and jumped into him.

“Ren!”

Tyson held him in his chest. This time Ren didn’t get upset but he pulled away from Tyson with a huge grin on his face.

“I knew you would come back!” 

And he gave Tyson a tight hug before sliding off Tyson and hugging Kai. Then he talked with Makoto and Goh as Tyson finished filling out sheets. 

The same female social worker was there that day. She pointed to Kai. 

“Who is he?” 

“He’s um… My friend.” 

He could feel Kai’s annoyed aura, but Kai stayed silent, since he knew what was best. 

“Well that’s very kind of you to come along with Mr. Granger!” She nodded to Kai. 

“Yeah- of course; anything for Tyson.” Kai mumbled. 

“You were accepted in no time Mr. Granger, and Ren has been waiting for you all week.” 

“That’s great!” Tyson had an overjoyed grin across his face. 

Kai couldn’t help but giggle at how happy Tyson was.

It was a sunny day almost a year later on Ren’s 8th birthday.

Goh and Makoto were on a mission to make the day super special since it was Ren’s first birthday in their house. 

Goh, Makoto, and Tyson had worked for weeks on Ren’s gift, and they had a theme for his birthday party. 

They invited the boys from their kendo class. Since Ren’s favourite thing was kendo, he was obsessed with a cartoon about boys with swords, naturally. 

They set up some tables in the dojo. Everyone sat on the floor along the tables eating and playing games. 

Ren had never looked happier. He was smiling and overjoyed. 

Kai had taken the day off to help Tyson set up, and attend the party. 

It came to the time Ren opened his presents. They were all pretty standard from most of the boys he opened Tyson’s last. 

It was a long box. He ripped off the packaging with glee and lifted the lid off the plain box. 

Inside was a wooden kendo sword. 

It was custom made, and had an engraving on the bottom of the hilt, of Ren’s name in kanji. 

Ren’s eyes started to water. He looked up at Tyson with his mouth agape. 

Tyson crossed his arms, “I figured you needed one since Makoto and Goh each have one, but yours is newer.” 

He looked back down and gently took the sword out of the package. 

Makoto and Goh had their own swords that were made for them specifically, He was jealous, but now he had his own. Even though he couldn’t express what he was feeling vocally, he knew what he felt. 

“Thank you- so much!” 

After all the kids were gone, Tyson and Ren were alone in the dojo. 

“Do you want to practice?” Tyson picked up Ren’s sword. 

Ren nodded and Tyson tossed the sword in his direction, he grabbed it out of the air no problem. 

Tyson had his, he had grabbed it out of a locked cupboard in the Dojo previously. 

“You guys’ swords are tiny, so when you get older I will buy you all a sword to use in your adult years. This one my Grandpa gave me on my sixteenth birthday. But I still have the one I used as a kid.” 

“So I will have this for a long time then?” Ren asked while giving the sword a well practiced swing. 

“Yep.” Tyson arranged himself into a fighting stance. 

Ren mimicked him. 

Since the kids were so tiny Tyson had got into the habit of going easy on them. 

But Ren came at him full force. 

Tyson blocked and Ren lunged again, and again.

“Woah Ren you’ve really improved!” 

“I’ll get you this time dad!” 

Tyson was startled, and lost his balance, when Ren’s sword collided with his, it was just enough force to knock him down. 

Tyson fell on the ground dropping his sword behind him. He stared at Ren who was above him laughing.

“Haha! I won!” 

Tyson grinned, “What did you call me?” 

Ren thought about it for a second, and then stepped back with a panicked expression. 

“Sorry! Goh and Makoto just- Always calling you guys-” 

“It’s okay Ren! You’re allowed to call me dad.” 

Ren’s face glowed, “Really!? That’s okay with you and Kai?! And Goh and Makoto!?” 

“I wouldn’t see why not.” Tyson pulled himself off the ground and brushed off his clothes. 

  
It was night, Makoto and Goh had just disappeared off to bed, Ren was still downstairs with Kai and Tyson. 

“So Ren how did you like your present?” Kai asked looking up from a book and taking off his glasses. 

“It was amazing! Thank you so much!” 

“Tyson did all the work, don’t thank me.” Kai shrugged.

Ren turned to Tyson who was sitting beside Kai on the couch, Ren walked over and gave him a big hug.

“Thanks… Dad.” 

It was different this time now that it was intentional. Tyson hugged him back.

“Hey thank Kai too! He paid for it!”

“Tyson!” Kai snapped at him.

Ren changed target from Tyson to Kai and gave him a big hug as well.

“Thank you too dad!” 

“Oh? Tyson and I are ‘dad’ now?” 

Ren looked up at him. 

“Is that okay? Tyson said it was okay…” 

Kai glanced at Tyson who nodded his head. 

“It doesn’t feel weird to you Ren?” Kai asked. 

“Not really! But I’ve never had a dad… I’ve never got to call anyone dad- But now I have two!” 

Ren’s beaming face made Kai flush in embarrassment. 

“Okay okay you can get off whenever you feel like it…” Kai joked while trying to push Ren away. 

Ren got off Kai giggling.

“I’m going to bed now! Good night dads!” 

Ren ran into the kitchen towards his room.

Tyson leaned into Kai’s chest.

“Tyson.”

“What?” 

“I can’t believe we have three kids.” 

Tyson laughed, “I know right!?” 

Kai wrapped his arms around Tyson as they just laid there. He kissed his head and took a deep breath. 

“But it’s nice right?”

“What’s nice?” Kai asked Tyson. 

“Family life?” 

“It’s fucking amazing.” 

Tyson grinned, “Just don’t use that kind of language around our kids."


	53. Extras (Blurb 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long chapter, this one I created to sum up the Boris conflict I created in the AU, If I remember correctly I wanted to do more but it would have turned into a novel lol. So it's long but relatively short given the content. You get Kai being a hot businessman and Tala being a cute worker too.

“All preparations for the meeting are ready right?” 

Kai’s assistant nodded, “Yes sir!”

“Good. This is a very important meeting, everything has to be perfect.” 

Kai had taken a plane out to america for the weekend to attend a very important meeting. He had dragged Tala along with him. 

Tala followed behind him in the big office and groaned. 

“Ugh do I have to follow you everywhere!” 

“You’re my sales rep Tala. There is a very important reason why you’re here as well. You will be sitting in on our meeting.” 

Tala and Kai drifted away from the crowds of the office into Kai’s temporary office and closed the door behind them for privacy.

“No offense Kai but I would really prefer to be home with my boyfriend right now.”

“Sasha? He can wait for you in Japan for a weekend.”

“Look I might have considered your offer a bit more when you offered me the job a few years ago if I knew I’d be following you to America.”

“It’s been more than a few years Tala. Goh just turned five-”

“And Mio just turned twelve I know.” 

Kai turned around suddenly staring Tala down.

“Don’t tell me you’re nervous about this meeting?” 

Tala looked frightened, and swallowed a hard lump in his throat, “of course I am!” 

Kai let his head fall to the floor.

“I am too honestly.” 

Tala tried to straighten his tie, he was nervous, and getting sweats, “Well Kai it’s kind of everything we’ve been trying to accomplish for years. So I can understand why we are so worried…”

“It’ll be okay. Only Judy will be there today. There’s nothing to worry about right now.” 

Kai watched Tala struggle with his tie to straighten it.

“But Kai! It’s- You don’t understand- this is the most important opening- It’s our only loophole to get involved with her company again-”

“I understand very well Tala.” Kai walked to the door and let his hand sit on the handle before he opened it. “I am a natural businessman after all,” He grinned, “And pull the larger side the tie will get tighter then.” 

Tala pulled the larger piece and his tie reorganized itself perfectly. 

“See? Told you.” 

Tala and Kai sat in the meeting room waiting for their guests to show up. 

Kai had only Tala and three other trusted advisors sitting in on this meeting. 

There was a simple board that Tala sat beside on Kai’s right hand side. The blinds were lowered but not closed, so the sun still shone in and silhouetted Kai as he sat with his hands folded. 

When Judy waltzed in first Tala could swear he thought he saw her jump a bit, he could understand why; Kai wore an expression that made his entire appearance, mixed with the vibe of the room, extremely intimidating. 

Behind her a few different kinds of men followed her, all wearing black, and all equally intimidating. The last two members of the pack struck a nerve in Kai, the familiar blonde hair, and glasses.

_Max and Kenny! But I have to stay professional._

One of Kai’s assistant’s offered Judy a seat and then everyone sat down in unison. 

Kai pushed himself off the table and stood up. He gave a slight bow before welcoming them.

“Greetings Ms. Tate and company, I Kai Hiwatari would like to personally welcome you to our-”

“Cut to the chase Hiwatari, we don’t have all day.” 

Kai blinked a few times, he wasn't expecting Judy to snap at him, especially with such an attitude, and such an audience. He carefully scanned the room to look at Max and Kenny; they didn’t look surprised at all, they just stared blankly into the table. 

Judy sighed when Kai didn’t respond for a split second. 

“We came here to hopefully rebuild our contract which you broke many years ago. It’s been years, you gave us next to no warning that you were pulling out of our company's plans, and then soon after the BBA mysteriously broke their contracts with us as well. So Kai, cut to the chase, what happened?” 

Kai took a deep breath. He knew the whole room was watching him, but he wasn’t scared. He felt more in power than he ever had before. 

“Judy- If we’re going by first names- I think you know exactly why the Hiwatari company and the BBA both backed out of our partnerships…”

Judy’s expression didn’t change, but she looked stiff.

“Kai you have no idea what you’re doing-”

Kai nodded, “But somehow my company's more stable than yours?”

“Kai you were in diapers when I built my company, and now look at you- all high and mighty-”

“And you’re in debt.”

The tension in the room was so thick it felt like you couldn’t breathe.

Judy’s men in black looked surprised.

Judy pushed herself off the table. 

“Is that what you asked me here for? To ridicule me!? I don’t need this- I’m going.”

“Judy you don’t understand!” 

It was Tala who stood up next, his voice cracked in desperation. 

“I don’t understand!?” Judy sounded overly offended. 

“Judy.” Kai put his hand down on the table, “We can help.”

Judy scoffed and turned away to walk out of the room.

“Judy! Stop!” Tala yelled after her. “You don’t understand!”

Judy looked back once more gritting her teeth. 

Tala closed his eyes and opened them, he opened his arms dramatically. 

“We can help!” 

Judy’s eyes opened wide. She was shocked into silence. 

One of her men in black spoke up, “With all due respect how is a sale’s rep supposed to help!?” 

Judy looked at Tala, then Kai, then back again, and again. 

Kai noticed Max and Kenny finally breaking out of their daze and observing the room. 

All of Judy’s workers seemed on edge because of Judy’s break in character. 

Judy looked to her worker, “This sale’s rep is more than what you think he is!” She spat. 

She closed her eyes briefly. 

Kai and Tala both held their breathe. 

This was it, the moment they had been waiting for.

Judy opened her eyes.

“Let’s go.” She addressed everyone in the room. Her workers started to leave and she followed after them.

Tala grabbed Kai’s cuff and shook his arm.

“Kai! You can’ just let her leave!” 

Kai sighed. 

“Judy!” 

He called after her. 

She was the last to leave the room, and she stopped briefly. 

“Can you stay here for a few moments. To talk alone?” 

She looked at Tala, “Yes, but businessman to businesswoman.” 

Kai glanced at Tala, Tala clicked his tongue but obeyed and left the room. 

They were left alone. 

Judy stood on one end of the room while Kai still kept his stance at the head of the table. 

“Kai.”

She said simply, and straight to the point.

“Let’s get this straight. If you dare slander my company ever again, I will make it my mission to make your life hell.”

Kai accidently let his face twitch.

“I will make every effort to make sure you live the life you fear. Your family? Gone. Your sons you love so much? What were their names again? Goh and Makoto? Oh yes, how would their life be ruined if the world found out about their heritage and parents? And Tyson? I will make it so you will have to live in pain, all while never seeing him ever again.” 

Judy gave off a devilish grin, but her face twitched, it all seemed so forced, so perfect, so familiar…

“Judy.” 

Kai let himself give off the soft expression he wanted to. 

“I knew you Judy, no- I _know _you. You aren’t like this. The Judy I remember loved her son, and her team. She made every effort to make her team strong, happy, and healthy. It doesn’t seem like that anymore. You’ve changed. I saw Max and Kenny, they’ve changed. You’re hurting the people around you.”__

____

____

Kai took a deep breath.”

“And I know why. You can’t let him control you like this. This is why Tala and I want to help. We know what it's like to be under his thumb, we want to free you.”

Judy’s face turned to mush, and her posture looked like it broke, but she still managed to keep herself up. 

“It’s alright Judy. We know his tricks inside and out, this is why we can help you. You can say whatever you want here. This is a totally neutral room. We scanned you before you entered the building. He attached no microphones, no camera, or chips on you.” 

Judy lowered her head, her voice sounded defeated, “Whenever I leave headquarters he always makes sure I have a GPS chip on me…” 

“There was something on your jacket when you came in, that’s why we confiscated it.”

She still stayed silent, dropping her head to the ground. 

“You’re clean Judy. In this moment you’re free of him.”

Her head shot up and her eyes had a short moment of sparkle. 

Kai gestured to the seat beside him and sat down.

To his surprised Judy took the seat and sat down beside him.

“With help from the Hiwatari company and the BBA… Which you had been trying to get for years… With our help you can keep your company afloat. You don’t need Boris-”

“But now I can’t free myself of him.”

Kai nodded in understanding, “I know. And I’m sorry.”

“I have tried to get him to leave you know…”

“He doesn’t leave easily.” 

Judy looked to her side away from Kai.

“Judy. I’m making plans to take Boris down. But in order to do that I need your help.”

“Why?”

“You know why, you’re a very smart woman. He’s finally become rather cunning in his old age.” 

“He never comes out of hiding. Even in my building. He stays behind the scenes. That’s why no one can find him, or knows he’s part of my company… I’m surprised you found out honestly.” 

“So can you help me?” Kai bent his head low and looked at her. 

“Kai… I wish I could. But honestly if I knew a way to help I would have got rid of him myself long ago…” 

“I know… That’s where it gets complicated.”

Kai closed his eyes briefly. Now he had Judy’s help. Now he needed something more. A reason for him to come out of hiding. 

“I know Boris well. But it’s been a long time, and I’m sure he’s changed. But do you know anything Judy? About what he loves… If he can… Or what makes his skin crawl. If he hates something he will come out to face it, or fight it.” 

“He likes messing with me… But I’m not important to him, just a tool. Oh!”

Kai’s heart jumped at Judy’s surprise.

“He won’t say it, and he won’t show it… But you boys. You, Tala, and the rest of the blitzkrieg and demolition boys… He’s obsessed with you. I don’t know why-”

“We were his first experiments, the first ones that worked. As children he had complete power over us, he loved that.” 

Judy put a hand to her face and contemplated for a moment. 

“But just telling him you boys want to see him won’t be enough.” 

“That’s where I come in.”

Kai had no idea how he entered the room so silently, or why he thought he needed to come to America in the first place, but there he was, the perfect addition to his plan. 

“Grandfather!?” 

Voltaire hobbled to the opposite side of the table Judy was on and slowly sat down in a seat with great effort. 

“He will show up if I tell him to come.” 

Kai’s mouth hung open. 

“W-why Grandfather!? Why would you offer-”

“It’s the least I can do for you kids. Well- I guess you all aren’t kids anymore… But after I funded his projects… I was stuck in a similar predicament you are in right now Ms. Tate.” 

Voltaire turned to Kai. The glare he gave Kai was not a usual expression for him, it wasn’t menacing, it wasn’t even filled with compassion. 

“Kai. If I tell him I’m there he will show.”

Voltaire let himself in. 

The room was dimly lit, and there was nothing in there but a cushioned chair. Voltaire wasted no time in limping over with his cane and sitting down in it. His old joints creaked as he let out a low sigh. 

_And he should be here in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1-_

The door slammed open. A man held it open for himself and let it close behind him slowly. 

He walked in closer to Voltaire, his old eyes finally adjusted to the light and he could finally recognize the man’s face. 

“It’s good to see you again old friend.” 

The man mumbled through a hoarse voice. 

Voltaire nodded, he leaned forward on his cane. 

“You’ve changed your hair. It’s no longer an obnoxious colour. It looks nicer as a dark brown. And no more goggles? Some professional glasses, they suit you well.” 

There was a moment of silence. 

“So you called me here because the boys wanted to see me?” 

“Calm down Boris if your voice gets any louder you will wake up the whole country.” 

Voltaire waved his hand in the air.

Boris scowled and balled his fists. 

“This reminds me of old times Voltaire.” Boris grinned. 

Voltaire noticed something in that moment. He recognized that grin, it was an expression he made many times. But now Voltaire didn’t see it as a sign of intelligence or inspiration, but as menacing and evil. 

“I agree.” 

Voltaire was a good actor, he could lie through his teeth easily. 

“So Kai and Tala wanted to see me? You never told me why.” 

Voltaire stayed silent. He tapped the top of his cane with one finger. 

“It’s complicated… It’s best that you talk to them first.” 

“No. Voltaire I came all the way out here to the middle of nowhere to meet you and the boys. I’ve learned from experience not to run blindly into things. I want to know why I’m here.” 

Voltaire sighed.

“I know what we did to them was horrible. They deserve answers at least. They have questions. That’s all. You can at least do that. You aren’t that evil, are you?” 

Boris scowled. 

“What we did to them? You know it was all me.” 

“I as well. I funded all your projects I approved them. It was equally my fault.” 

Voltaire slowly pushed himself off the seat with great effort. 

“So let's not waste any time then if we both don’t want to be here. Let’s go talk to them, shall we?” 

Voltaire started to hobble out of the room. Boris followed. He was a lot younger, but was still reaching old age. He had to slow down his pace to match Voltaire’s. 

“So I’ve seen pictures of Kai. It’s been many years. I haven’t seen him since he was… Oh, about sixteen? And Tala… He was about eighteen the last time I saw him. They have probably changed so much!” 

Voltaire nodded. Boris clapped his hands together gleefully. 

Voltaire would be excited to see Kai because he was his Grandchild. Not because he was what Boris saw him as-

_A completed experiment._

Voltaire's’ steps matched Boris’s steps as they continued down the hallway. 

Voltaire stopped before opening the door. 

“Boris. Don’t be too obnoxious.” 

“What? Me? Rude? Never!” 

Voltaire turned the handle and opened the door slowly. 

Inside it was still a dark musty room, but it was brighter than the last room. There were two chairs in the middle of the room. The room was lined with long black curtains. 

Beyond the chairs only a few feet away Tala stood there looking at them, he wore casual clothes and had a hand in his pocket. To his left was Kai. He wore a suit, not as fancy as usual, his tie was partially undone and pulled down, the first buttons on his shirt undone, and he had both his hands behind his back, standing upright with perfect posture. 

Kai’s chin was pointed upwards, it made him look like the most important in the room; unintentionally of course. 

Boris opened his arms and grew a massive smirk from ear to ear.

“Kai! Tala! You are both so grown up! 

Tala’s nose twitched. 

Kai was the first to speak up. 

“You guys can take a seat if you would like.”

Boris took a seat and Voltaire waddled over again, sitting down with a sigh. 

“So? Why am I here?” Boris asked with a pretend expression of curiosity, while making an accidently sneer at the end of his sentence. 

“We wanted to ask you a few questions is all.” Kai walked towards him a few steps. “So let’s start from the beginning. It has taken us many years. But we are finally comfortable talking about the abbey. And now we need to know. What happened?” 

Boris sat up in his chair and crossed his arms. 

“You two don’t remember?” 

“Oh I remember-” Tala took a step forward with a furious expression. Kai held his arm out and stopped him. 

“I remember very little because of my amnesia, Tala on the other hand… He remembers everything. But not when he was knocked out for surgery. Tala?” 

Tala tossed Kai’s arm away and stood his ground. “I want to know what you did to my body.” 

Boris gave off a deep low laugh. He cackled and slouched in his chair. 

“You really want to know? Everything?” 

“Yes!” Tala was desperate for answers. 

“It would take ages to tell you, let alone describing the technical details…”

“At least try.” Tala gritted his teeth impatiently. 

Boris tilted his head in a cocky manner. 

“You were one of my favourite experiments. I did so much to your body, and your mind. Brain surgery was easy and fun to do. Reinforcing your limbs was fun as well… Enhancing your vision? Complicated, with your sensitive retinas we had to be extra careful…”

Boris stopped when he noticed Tala’s choked expression. 

“What? You thought we didn’t go that far?” Boris made a hand gesture to Voltaire. “Voltaire! Tell him we went that far.” 

“You went that far.” Voltaire’s face was shadowed with a dangerous expression. 

“Well, besides the fact that you went too far and let us make you into a cyborg… Nothing negative was changed. Your vision will forever be 20/20 and better. Your limbs have an extremely high breaking point, and you can solve puzzles with an extraordinary pace, it’s too bad you never went to school to understand how to do basic math problems…” 

Boris laughed, not at the situation but at Tala. 

Tala became instantly furious.

“You think that’s no big deal!? You never had my consent! You purple haired freak!” Tala leaped forward to try to hurl himself at him.

“Tala!” Kai reached forward with both arms and pulled him back around his stomach. 

“And you Kai.” 

With the sound of Boris’ voice Tala calmed down immediately, but not from respect, his body froze with all the fear from his past. 

Kai stared into Boris’ eyes, he could not even imagine what Boris had done to him. 

“It was a lot more subtle for you. We kept anything we did to you a secret from Voltaire, and of course we had to make sure there was no danger of you telling him… We easily figured out how to induce temporary or permanent amnesia in anyone with the prick of a needle in the right place. We often had to do that to you… You would always see things we didn’t want you seeing. It was a shame, you had the best body. We only experimented with strength enhancers with you, ever wondered why you are so strong? That’s why. It might even be an alteration in your genetics, it might have carried on to your son, Goh was it? Is he strong too?” 

“You shut your mouth-”

Kai was almost as livid as Tala, but he was cut off again by the man with the big mouth.

“It’s a shame our drugs didn’t go through-”

“You know I would never have approved that.” 

Voltaire cut in right away.

“It was the only drug you never approved Voltaire. Why was that? A drug that could change someone’s sexuality sounded right up your alley, considering you’ve always been so against homosexuality-”

“You can’t change someone’s sexuality Boris. The only thing the Abbey did was-”

“Try to pray the gay away? That’s what you think Voltaire. We did many things. Lots of the experiments were taken right out of Texas training camps. It was lots of fun, shame it never worked. You might have had a mother for your son Kai.”

“Listen here Boris.” Kai let go of Tala and stood his ground. “I chose the path I’m on. I could have been with a woman if I chose to. But I love the man I’m with, and no one, not even you, with all your experiments, praying, drugs, camps, and technology can change that.”

Boris slowly pushed himself up from the chair and stood his ground against Kai.

“You don’t have to be so careful. We know Tyson is the man you’re with. It was always so obvious. I’ve always wondered how different things would have been if I changed that. That’s all.” 

Kai took a step forward, him and Boris were face to face only a few inches away. 

“That’s enough.” 

Both Boris and Kai turned their heads. Voltaire lifted his cane and let it fall to the ground with a crack. The thick sudden sound echoed through the room. 

“I’m so sorry I never knew this Kai. Tala I’m sorry. If I had only double checked, to see what I was funding I would have known.”

Voltaire sighed and stood up with great difficulty. 

“Is it time?” He asked Kai.

“Yeah. I think it is.” 

Boris looked confused. He didn’t like the lack of control.

“What!? What is happening!? What is it I don’t know!?” 

“Boris.”

Kai looked him up and down; then directly into his eyes. 

“Boris, your tyranny has come to an end. Your manipulation of Judy’s company, your past with us, and every other kid you’ve hurt along the way. It’s taken years for us to finally be able to take you down, but now you will know what it’s like to be a rich man with no power.”

“What. What do you mean?” Boris sounded out every syllable. 

“You’re done for Boris.” Tala grinned.

All around them the walls started to move. The black curtains lining the walls fell down. Sunlight came streaming in and Boris shielded his eyes with his arm. Beyond the curtains were crowds of men and women. 

Older now, but still recognizable. Everyone advanced into the middle of the room.

“Boris this has to be your worst nightmare, right!?” Tala chuckled. 

Boris had a panicked expression as his eyes darted around the room.

“You! You two… What are you all going to do to me?! Kill me!? Do you all want to go to jail!?” 

“Oh no, no one would kill you, or hurt you. We aren’t evil like you.” Kai folded his hands behind his back again. “Everyone just wants to embarrass you. Make you feel like less of a person, like you did to us, for all our lives.” 

Boris glanced around the room again.

With no way to fight his way out, he had to beg.

“Michelle!? Come on you wouldn’t hurt me… All the times we trained together!? Ivan!? Tala? Kai! Please!” 

“You will get everything you deserve.” Tala ended it there. 

Slowly the members of the crowd started to pull out items. 

“Is that… Old food!? Are you kidding me!?” 

Boris tried to laugh but croaked midway.

“Are you serious!? That is your ultimate plan!? Clearly my intelligence surgeries didn’t take…” 

Then the first rotten fruit was thrown and landed before Boris’ feet. He stepped back. 

“Really!?” 

Then a flurry of old food and items were thrown at him. He tried to shield himself but screamed and turned his back from the storm. 

Voltaire, Kai, and Tala managed to walk out of the room undetected. 

They walked down the soundproof hallway in silence feeling accomplished. 

“So Kai the police will be here soon to arrest him for his charges?”

“Oh yeah. He has at least two lifetimes of charges. He will never get out of jail.”

“Great.” Tala smiled


	54. Extras (Blurb 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short cute family fluff of when the kids were young.

After dinner it was a lazy night. 

The boys were stuffed and decided to run off the last amount of energy they had in the backyard. Tyson watched them from the kitchen as he finished cleaning up the last plates from dinner. 

Kai was in the living room, he decided to start working out again. 

He had only just started to get into his routine and was doing some pushups when his kids came running into the room. 

“Dad dad! Me and Goh found a weird bug!” 

“Goh and I.” Kai mumbled under his breath while stopping and sitting up while taking a sip of a water bottle. 

“What!?” Makoto yelled into Kai’s direction. 

“Nevermind Makoto.” Kai laughed. 

Goh had just ran into the room too. Tyson appeared after him.

“Is your dad working out?” 

“Yeah! He’s trying to be big and strong! Like me!” Makoto lifted his tiny arms and flexed dramatically. 

“Yeah big and strong just like you.” Kai laughed. “How old are you again? Like two!?” Kai made fun of him playfully. 

“I’m five!” Makoto looked sad as if he was upset his dad didn’t remember. 

“I’m kidding I know you’re five.” Kai pinched his cheek playfully. 

Makoto smiled again his whole face seem to shine.

Goh suddenly reached forward with both arms and hugged Kai in more of a chokehold than a compassionate hug. 

“Goh what are you doing? How am I supposed to do my stretches with you like this?” 

“You can do it…” Goh mumbled. 

“Alright.” Kai shrugged and put both hands on the floor. 

Goh slid down so he was on Kai’s back, Kai continued to do push ups with Goh wrapped over his shoulders laying on his back. 

Goh started to uncontrollably giggle. 

Makoto laughed and joined in by almost jumping on to Kai with Goh. 

Kai grunted in the effort.

“You guys are pretty heavy for being so tiny…” 

Tyson sat down on the floor beside him and bent his head to the floor so he looked at Kai. 

“You almost hit your limit yet? You’re pretty strong but you can’t keep them up for long…” 

“Try me…” Kai mumbled.

Tyson could see the sweat start to drip down Kai’s face. 

“Come on guys time to get off your father…” 

Then Kai collapsed on to the floor and Goh and Makoto fell overtop of him too. 

“Dad. Dad? Dad!” Makoto was poking Kai’s face. 

“He’s tired Makoto!” Goh said angrily while attempting to push Makoto off Kai.

“You get off then too!” 

“No fighting!” Kai’s voice bellowed as he flipped himself over making both the boys fall off him. 

They screeched playfully as they barrelled off Kai


	55. Extras (Blurb 5)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long Chapter. The boys are teenagers now, Mio (Hilary's son) is much older than the boys by at least 5 years. Goh is frustrated he knows nothing about his silver haired father. Kai opens up about his past to his sons.

“I honestly just don’t know what to do anymore…”

“I’m sorry Hilary…” 

Tyson apologised while hanging his head low. 

Kai had his arm crossed and sat on the edge of the couch silent, with an expressionless stare. 

Goh and Makoto sat on the floor around the table listening. Ren was out of the house at the moment, Hilary had made a surprise visit and ended up breaking down in tears during tea.

“He didn’t even come home last night… He doesn’t answer his phone, it goes straight to voicemail he never goes to his classes…” 

Tyson wrapped his arms around Hilary and held her tightly. 

“Where did I go wrong Tyson? Did I fail in raising him? When I tried so hard?” 

“You didn’t do anything wrong Hilary… Don’t think that way.” 

Goh slammed his empty teacup on the table. 

“It’s not your fault he’s a fucking idiot-”

“Goh! Watch your language!” Kai sat up uncrossing his arms menacingly. 

“Sorry Dad-”

“Just cause you’re sixteen doesn’t mean you can use that kind of language Goh.” Tyson grinned at him while still holding Hilary. 

“I’m pretty sure you and Dad swore.” Makoto teased. 

“They rarely did actually…” Hilary wiped her eyes and sat back up with all the composure in the world, “Kai did sometimes…” 

“Hilary…” Kai started seriously, then transitioned to a joking voice and grinned. 

“I totally thought you were that kind of guy dad.” Goh said sarcastically. 

“We had to learn it from somewhere!” Makoto laughed. 

Kai rolled his eyes and sat back again. 

“Could he be missing?” Tyson addressed the original conversation and directed everyone’s attention back to Hilary. 

“No… I don’t think so- I mean maybe- But is far more likely that he just doesn’t want to come home…” 

“It’s almost been forty-eight hours so you could declare him missing and get the police to help find him.” 

Kai suggested in the most gentle voice he could, but Hilary started crying again. 

Kai felt a pit in his stomach; like a deep hole that made all his organs fall into it at once. 

_Is this how Tyson felt about me?_

“Or…” 

Kai started, accidently catching Tyson’s attention. 

Kai took a deep breath and leaned forward balancing his elbows on his knees. 

“I’ll go talk to him.”

“Kai I don’t even know where he is!” Hilary exclaimed exasperated. 

Kai gave a side glance to Goh and Makoto. 

“Do you guys know where he usually hangs out? He must have a place.” 

“Yeah I know one.” Goh admitted guiltily. “But with all due respect dad… How would you talking to him help him?”

“Yeah Kai… That’s a good question.” Hilary looked at Tyson while asking, but then realized immediately. 

Kai chuckled a bit and stood up. “Well can you show me this place Goh?” 

“You’re gonna avoid the question again dad…” Goh sighed under his breath while pushing himself off the ground with grace. 

“You and your ballet Goh… I swear I can tell you’re a dancer from a mile away.” Makoto pushed himself off the ground too with a heavier foot. “Oh, and don’t think you two are going without me!” 

“I’ll stay here with Hilary Kai… But you three… Stay out of trouble okay?” Tyson nodded to them while patting Hilary’s back. 

“It’s okay I’ll protect the old man.” Makoto laughed. 

“Kai?” Tyson called after him.

“Yeah?” 

“Stay safe.” 

“You know me. I can handle some teenagers.” 

“Even if they throw a punch?” 

“Tyson you know me better than anyone.”

Tyson laughed awkwardly, “Yeah- How silly of me!” 

Kai trotted back over to Tyson and gave him a quick kiss before headed out of the room with the boys again. 

“See you three soon love you!” 

“So where are we going?” 

Kai had taken the lead but asked Goh for directions. 

“He liked to hang out in this abandoned warehouse with all these other ‘super cool’ kids.” 

“He's a few years older than you guys, he isn’t just hanging out with teenagers you know.”

Kai slowed his pace and gave off a serious vibe. It wasn’t just fun and games anymore. It was dark and midnight was just around the corner. At least it was summer so it was warm, but the breeze felt cool. 

“I know they aren’t teenagers. But they are still dropouts with nothing better to do but drugs and girls-” Goh cut himself off. 

“You don’t have to be so secretive Goh. I already assumed that kind of stuff was going on with him.” 

Goh nodded, feeling a bit dirty that he gave away his friend. 

“Hilary might not like hearing it. But it’s probably happening. We just need to stop it before it gets too serious.” Kai hastened his pace. 

“How is this not serious already!?” Makoto asked.

“He’s not part of a gang yet is he?” Kai grimaced, “here we just have to hope he gets into a low tier gang and not yakuza…” 

“What do you mean by _here!? _” Goh always analyzed Kai’s sentences and tried to dissect them.__

____

__

Kai had still managed to keep his embarrassing past a secret. He knew he couldn’t hide it forever, he just wanted them to be old enough to understand. 

“I was raised in Russia Goh, you know this.” 

“I’ve never been told anything about it!” 

“You’ll learn.” 

Kai could tell Goh was getting frustrated, he had been for many years. He knew everything there was to know about Tyson, but Kai’s past was still a secret. 

Goh had given Kai directions to the warehouse. It was on the ocean, and it was much colder here than the house. 

The warehouse reminded Kai of the one he hung out in when he was a kid, before his first championships where he met Tyson. 

He grinned a stupid grin. It almost seemed childish to him, juvenile. He almost thought less of Mio. 

“Mio should be in there, but wait Dad!” Makoto pulled Goh and Kai down dramatically so they were squatting behind a box. 

There were three boys sitting in the front of the two doors around a makeshift fire. They were shouting and drinking a clear liquid out of bottles. 

“Is that alcohol!?” Makoto shouted in shock. 

Kai debated for a second if he was too young to have been brought along. 

“It’s just vodka, we’ll be fine.” Kai got up and Goh grabbed his shirt. 

“Dad! What are you doing!? Those guys are going to!-”

“What? Beat me up? Come on. They are small drunk boys. It will be fine Goh. You two stay here.” 

Kai stood up and walked behind the box. 

Goh whispered to him, “What are you going to do!? Make them let you in with your words! Dad you’re crazy!” 

Kai ignored them and waltzed forward towards the boys. They turned around from their party and looked at Kai in shock.

“You a cop!?” One of them yelled at Kai. 

Kai laughed, “No, definitely not. I’m looking for Mio, is he around?” 

“Why are you look’in for him? He got no daddy, he only got his Ma.”

“Your grammar is horrendous…” Kai mumbled under his breath. 

“You wanna go old man?!” 

“No I just want to know if Mio is around, that is all, and if I could speak to him of course. Also I am not old.” 

“Prove it.” Another boy spat, the spit landed in front of Kai’s feet. 

_They remind me strangely of dumb members of Frederick’s gang…_

“Prove that I’m not old?! I would just like to talk to Mio…” 

“Nio doesn’t want to talk to you!” 

The boy launched himself at Kai in a drunken state, Goh shouted at Kai and launched himself from behind the box, but Kai was faster. 

Kai ducked and let the boy impale himself right into Kai’s shoulder, Kai lifted him easily into the air and over his back falling into a crippled pile. 

The other two boys followed after the first in a fit of anger, Goh was barely near Kai. 

One boy threw a punch in the direction of Kai’s face, Kai took a step back and grabbed his fist as soon as the boy lost momentum and twisted his fist so the boy howled in pain. 

The last boy was too drunk to notice it was time to quit. 

He made a sad attempt at trying to deliver a kick to Kai’s stomach, Kai easily kicked his leg away and used his shoulder to barrel into the boy and knock him down to the ground. 

Goh and Makoto appeared at Kai’s shoulder in what felt like seconds. 

Kai was holding his fist and cracking his knuckles. He had the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up. 

“So sad, I didn’t even have to throw one punch. Come on kids.” Kai made a hand gesture that told Goh and Makoto to follow. 

“Dad what the fuck!?” Makoto shrieked while staring at the boys on the ground. 

“I told you I don't like that kind of language-” 

“Dad where the hell did you learn that!?” Goh yelled at Kai with a voice that shook slightly. 

“Language Goh.” 

“Dad! No! Shut up!” Goh yelled so loud that the silence after rang in Kai’s ears. 

Kai sighed. “I’ll tell you guys all about it later-”

“No!” Goh stomped his foot on the ground. “No more ‘laters’ no more ‘you will learn when you’re old enough!’ Surprise! I’m old enough! And I want to know about you Dad! I don’t even know where you work! We barely know your last name! My last name!? Who am I!?” 

Kai turned back to Goh to look into his eyes. Kai could feel the heat waves coming off him. 

Kai reached forward and grasped both his cheeks, he kissed his forehead and let himself fall away as he looked back into Goh’s eyes with every concern. 

“You are Goh Hiwatari. My only biological son, but not my only son. Don’t forget that. You are heir to one of the largest technological companies in the world. The Hiwatari company. That’s who you are, but it’s not what you have to be. What I am has nothing to do with you Goh, If I’m smart that doesn’t make you smart. If I’m a monster… That doesn’t make you a monster either.” 

“I know all that Dad… But who are you. I care about you. I want to know…” Goh let his head fall and looked at the ground. Kai could feel his body shivering from just looking at him. 

“One time in highschool I took on at least six guys that were bigger than me just to protect your father.” 

“What!? That’s crazy!” Makoto grinned. 

“I have a hard time believing you…” Goh said cautiously.

“Yep. It was hard. But I did it to protect him. Some kid had pushed him down the stairs and he wouldn’t get up. So I went berserk and made it so none of them could get back up for a while…” Kai grinned at the memory, which seemed so far away but now so vivid. 

“Where did you learn to do that?” Goh asked simply, and straight to the point. 

Kai couldn’t dodge this one. 

“The Abbey.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Goh scoffed. 

“I will tell you later Goh-”

“What did I say about 'laters'!?” 

“We have more important things to do right now! We have to get Mio back!” 

Goh pouted, “I guess you’re right. But you will tell me! You better not forget!” 

“I won’t Goh. Now let's go get Mio.” 

Inside the warehouse it was dimly lit and large empty metal crates littered the floor. 

Kai could hear voices from far away and tried to trace their location. Goh and Makoto followed in their father’s footsteps as they darted around boxes. 

Kai slowed his pace before continuing around another box. He extended his arm to his side to stop Goh and Makoto from proceeding. 

There was music coming from behind the crate and a flickering orange light. 

Kai turned his head to his kids and whispered, “Do you guys hear Mio?” 

Goh and Makoto listened for a moment, there were low voices and Goh nodded his head when he distinguished Mio’s voice from the garbled noise. 

Kai nodded, “Good, you guys stay here.” 

Kai slipped around the corner of the crate out of Goh and Makoto’s sight. 

When Kai appeared from out of the darkness the light from an old lamp emitted a dull orange light across his face. 

There were sounds of scurrying and sneakers against the concrete floor. 

“Mio!?” Kai yelled over the crowd of young boys that scattered in the wind. 

“I see him!” Goh yelled over Kai and the crowd. “He’s running! I’ll catch him!” 

Goh bolted with a speed Kai hadn’t seen him use before. 

“Dad! Is that?” Makoto yelled and ran in the opposite direction.

“What?!” Kai asked the almost empty bustling room. 

Goh came back dragging Mio by the arm and threw him beside him in front of Kai. 

Kai looked into his eyes, he became instantly disappointed in him. 

The room had finally cleared, the music had been turned off, and only the group of boys were left in the empty dark warehouse. 

“Are you kidding me Makoto!? Let me go!” 

Kai turned on his heel instantly when he heard Ren’s voice. 

“Ren!? What are you doing here?” Kai asked angrily. 

Ren let himself fall on the floor. He crossed his legs and pouted.

“Ren- did you-”

“No! Dad I didn’t do anything…” 

Kai crossed his arms and shook his head. 

“I’m disappointed in you two. Especially you Mio.” 

Mio hung his head. 

“How are you feeling Mio?” 

“Dad!” Goh sounded angry that Kai was offering him such compassion. 

“I’m fine…” Mio managed to mumble.

“Sit down like Ren.” Kai demanded. 

Mio let himself slide on to the ground. He let his head hang low and balanced his forearms on his knees. 

“Were you drinking Mio?” 

“We didn’t drink tonight.” 

“Good.” 

Goh looked from Kai to Mio again and again, and became instantly enraged. 

“Dad! Why the hell aren’t you scolding him!?” 

“Calm down Goh.”

“Why!?”

Kai shook his head. “You get your temper from me… Mio is really high right now. We just need to give him a second.” 

Mio nodded slowly. 

“On the other hand…” Kai grimaced and turned to look at Ren. “what the hell are you doing here Ren?” 

Ren had a wave of fear fall over his face; his eyes were wide and his skin tingled, Kai had never been angry at him like this before. 

“I never expected this from you Ren. I’m disappointed.” Kai shook his head. 

“Hey!” Ren stood up onto his feet, he felt light on his feet for a second, but managed to stand his ground. “I told you I didn’t do anything wrong!” 

“But you were here Ren. In the wrong crowd, you could have done what Mio has done easily.” 

“I told you I didn’t dad! Don’t you trust me?” 

“I wish I could Ren… But you told me you were going out to study with friends. You’ve been doing that a lot lately. Is this where you’ve been coming?” Kai’s face looked cold as ice, and had an expression just as stiff.

Ren felt bad but he was still angry.

“Don’t get all fatherly on me!” Ren stomped his foot on the ground. 

Kai closed his eyes briefly. 

He had noticed Ren was being distant lately. He knew it would happen in his teens. Losing his mom, having no father, and being adopted by gay parents, he would have to find himself at some point, Kai just hoped it wasn’t like this. 

“But I am your father.” Kai stated it simply. He wanted to see Ren’s response. 

In a fit of rage Ren spat back, “You’re _not _my father!”__

____

____

“Ren!” Makoto screamed in his face and balled up a fist and landed it right into Ren’s cheek. 

Ren fell backwards on the floor with force and rubbed his face with his hand. 

“How dare you say that to dad! Our dads adopted you! They made sure you didn’t go to some shitty orphanage or out on the streets! You took our last names! And you think you are still entitled to say shit like that!?” 

Ren looked away from everyone.

Kai looked down at Ren. 

“Are you okay?” Kai kneeled down in front of him and reached to his face where the bruise was starting to form. 

Ren instinctively let him look at it, like he had many times when he was a kid. 

Kai let his hands stay on his cheek for a little while, then pulled his hand away. 

“We will put ice on it when we get home.” 

Ren nodded. 

“And Ren… You chose to change your last name to our name. But if you don’t want to be a part of this family, you have to change it back.” 

Ren seemed to get riled up all over again. “I never said anything about wanting to change my name-”

“Ren. If you’re a part of this family Tyson and I are your parents… And Granger and Hiwatari are your last names. You knew and were told what a burden the names were to carry, but you chose to anyways. You don’t want me to be your dad, but you still want to carry my name. If you don’t want to be a part of this family, and share the burdens we all carry, then you have to give up your names.” 

Kai had a stone heart, but it sank deep in his chest, he never wanted to say those words, but it was what had to be done to get through Ren’s thick teenage head. 

Ren was shocked. He stayed silent for a long while, and then his eyes started to water. 

“I-” Ren started and then swallowed. 

Kai decided to finish, “The Hiwatari name is especially hard for me… I didn’t want any of you to have it. But Tyson forced me to hyphenate your names officially… I told you it was dangerous to change your name in the beginning. Yet you still did it. Does the Hiwatari name mean nothing to you Ren? What you’ve sacrificed? What you have now?” 

“I- Dad-”

“I know I’m not your _real _father. Tyson and I never had a part in making you. But we had a part in raising you. You accepted that when you took on our names.”__

____

____

Kai sighed and looked around the room. 

“But this is not how you repay us. Rebelling. Sneaking your way into places like this without us knowing… We still love you. I couldn’t bear to see anything happen to you.”

Ren reached forward and grasped Kai’s sleeves of his shirt with both hands. 

“Dad!”

“Ren… You may not see me as your father… But you are my son. And I mean that in more ways than one. I love you.”

Ren couldn’t stop the tears from overflowing. He let himself fall into Kai’s chest and let himself go. 

Kai patted his hair, the same way he did the night he was abandoned; and the same way he did many times when Ren was young and became easily overwhelmed. 

“I’m sorry dad I didn’t mean to! I- I’m just… I love you! I just…” 

“I know Ren. It’s hard. And there’s not a lot of people who understand. I was like you once. Don’t worry…” 

Once Ren had calmed down he stayed sitting on the floor. When Kai finally pulled away from him he had noticed Makoto and Goh were sitting on the floor too. 

Kai redirected his attention back to why they came. 

“Mio.” 

He still looked forward at the floor, unblinking, with dark eyes. 

“Are you feeling a little better Mio?” 

He nodded slowly. 

“Do you have water?” Kai asked in the most fatherly way he had spoken yet tonight. 

Mio pointed to the corner of the room. 

Makoto was the first to jump out and grab the water bottle for Mio. He passed it to him and Mio took slow eager sips out of it. 

Kai got up and sat in front of Mio on the floor. 

“What did you guys do?”

“What do you mean…” Mio managed to mutter. 

“What drugs?” 

“Not a whole lot…” 

“You can tell me Mio. What was it? Ecstasy? Cocaine?” 

“Umm… Just a lot of weed and some shrooms… Not a lot though…” 

Kai grinned. “So you’re fine… You are just really stoned. Do you think you will green out?” 

Mio looked at Kai with a slight broken grin. “How do you know these terms Kai?” 

Kai let out a chuckle. “I’m a lot older than you. Keep drinking. It’ll help.” 

Mio took another sip of water and lowered the water bottle to the ground. 

“Mio…” Goh started. 

Mio answered drowsily, “Yeah?” 

“What the hell are you thinking Mio!?” Goh was beyond angry. He was concerned for his friend and he didn’t want him to get hurt, but he ended up hurting himself. 

“I don’t know honestly Goh… I just don’t really care..” 

Goh rearranged himself and opened his mouth but Kai moved his hand in a fast gesture that said ‘sit down, shut up’. 

“Why don’t you care Mio?” Kai asked in a surprisingly soothing voice. 

“I only care about my mom. But I don’t care about myself. My father didn’t want me. I don’t want me. I don’t even like my name! It’s a girl’s name. I’m trying to get everyone to call me Nio… I just… Don’t care…” 

Mio took another sip of water, this time with more composure. 

“That’s the name your mom gave you. If you don’t like it you will have to discuss it with her. But I was there when she named you you know? I was holding you.” 

“Really?” Mio was surprised. 

“Yeah. You were the first baby I ever held. It was that moment I decided I wanted babies of my own. I became instantly very protective of you. She wanted to name you Mio… Tyson said it was a bad idea because it was a girl’s name… I was all for it. It was unique, and when I looked down at you that’s the only name I could imagine you having. It’s your name. It was given to you by the people who love you. If you don’t like it you can throw it away and get a new one. But with that you throw away all meaning your name has. Personally, I see you as more of a Mio.” 

Mio blinked a few times and stared back at him. His eyes looked a bit clearer. 

“Thanks Kai…” 

Mio let himself sulk again. 

Kai wasn’t having any of that. 

“You could change your name and continue on this path if you want. I know where it will lead you. I was the same way…”

Mio’s head shot up and he gazed at Kai with confusion.

“What do you mean…” 

Kai sighed and decided it was time. 

“I was once lost too. I didn’t care. I did horrible things. Absolutely horrible. I regret all of it. I have many scars that will never heal.”

“Like what…” Mio sounded scared. 

“I went to university in England after high school. I hated it. I ran away after graduation to Russia and lived there under the grid for a while. I was like you… But worse. Tyson and my grandfather looked for me for ages… And couldn’t find me. They eventually did of course, but not until I was almost too far gone.”

Mio’s mouth hung open, Goh, Makoto, and Ren were shocked into silence. 

“I’ve been hiding my past from all of you because it’s embarrassing. And what I did makes me seem like a crazy person rather than a father… I just want to put it all behind me.” 

Kai looked Mio directly in the eyes, “But I still did it, and I can’t change that.”

Kai stood back up and sighed, he grabbed for the buckle of his pants.

“Woah! What are you doing Dad!?” Makoto yelled.

“You guys have never seen me in shorts, because I’ve been hiding from you.” Kai pulled one side of his pant’s down on his right leg.

He revealed a dry scarred area of skin on his right thigh. It was a large scar that looked like it had been twirled, and hadn’t healed right at all. 

“What is that Dad?” Goh couldn’t stop staring at the old wound. 

“It’s a shot wound. I got shot when I got stuck in a gang battle. I was shot by the leader of the Russian mafia. And that’s only a little bit of the story. But that’s something completely different…” 

Kai pulled up his pants again awkwardly, but he knew he had proved his point. 

Mio was so shocked it looked like he pulled himself out of his high. 

“So Mio. You can do what you want. You can stay here, alone in the dark, with no future awaiting you. Or you can come home to your family, Hilary, Tyson, Goh, Makoto, Ren, and me, we all love you and want you to come home.”

Mio still looked scared, and couldn’t speak. 

“You’re lucky. You at least have a home to go to.” Kai said out loud but slightly under his breath. 

Kai offered Mio his hand. 

Mio didn’t hesitate to grab it and have Kai pull him up towards him. Mio stumbled at first but Kai grabbed his shoulder and helped him stabilize himself. 

“Thank you Kai. I have no idea where I would be without you…” Mio admitted in a voice that only Kai could hear. 

“I’ll always be here for you, don’t worry."

Back at home Hilary broke out in tears when she saw Mio, she reached forward and hugged him dramatically as soon as he walked in the door. 

“It’s okay mum… I’m fine!- Just stop crying okay?” 

Hilary stopped and pulled away, then her motherly instinct came out, and so did her Hilary instinct. 

“I won’t stop! I’m angry at you! Why did you run away!?” 

“I didn’t mom! I just went out!-”

Hilary slapped his cheeks with both hands gently but stayed tough, “Don’t you dare lie to me!”

“Okay okay mom! But stop!” Mio laughed off Hilary’s scolding, but she still wasn’t done.

“Never! Ever! Ever! Do this to me again do you hear me! Mio answer me!” 

Mio grabbed both Hilary's hands and kept them on his cheeks, he smiled.

“I promise mom.” 

Hilary looked into his eyes and finally understood.

Kai and Tyson knew that they would be okay. 

“We’re heading off now! Thanks so much for bringing Mio back!” Hilary shouted back as her and Mio headed out the front door.

After a few minutes of goodbyes and hugs Kai finally sat back into the couch and sighed. 

Goh, Makoto and Ren were all sitting on the floor in the same position they were since Mio had left, and Tyson came back with some late night tea. 

“I know it’s a little late… But I figured we all needed some tea right now. I’m thinking no school tomorrow for you guys. And same with you Kai! No work! We all deserve a sick day tomorrow.” 

Tyson placed the tea tray gently on the coffee table and began to pour everyone a cup. 

Tyson had picked up on the awkward silence immediately. He tried to use himself to cut the tension in the room. 

After the kids had tea Tyson poured two more cups and handed one to Kai, who was sitting back into the couch looking exhausted. 

“Thanks Tyson.” 

“You’re welcome honey bun.”

“Don’t call me that.” Kai grinned.

Tyson sat besides Kai on the couch and curled in his legs so his knees were leaning against Kai’s thigh giving him some comfort. 

Kai took a sip of his tea, and Goh decided to break the silence. 

“Dad, what’s the Abbey?”

Tyson was more surprised than Kai.

“How do you know about that Goh!?”

Goh kept a neutral expression and looked at Kai, “Dad mentioned it when we were out tonight.” 

Tyson dramatically turned to Kai, “what did you tell Mio Kai?”

Kai felt even more closed in than he had before. He didn’t know how Tyson would react, but he didn’t think he would be angry. 

Tyson’s attitude towards the subject scared Kai briefly, keeping him silent. 

Goh, thinking this was another one of Kai’s evasive maneuvers acted out again. 

“Dad! I told you I wanted to know more about you! Now I have a chance! You already started, you can’t leave me hanging.”

Goh was frustrated, Tyson had no clue he felt this way. Tyson had worked very hard for years to keep Kai’s past only to himself and Kai, he knew it upset Kai. He didn’t want to keep his kids in a bubble, but he didn’t want Kai to be hurt either. 

“Goh! Don’t talk to your father with that kind of attitude!” 

Tyson spat back at Goh. 

Goh frowned but understood. 

Kai took the last sip of his tea and moved himself around on the couch to find a more comfortable position. 

“It’s okay Tyson. They have to know sometime.” 

“But Kai!-”

“It’s alright Tyson.” 

Kai shifted uncomfortably, Tyson let his hand rest on his thigh. Kai closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

He opened his eyes slowly and looked at his children, he could feel his whole body melt in admiration and guilt all at once. 

“First of all… Anything that I’ve done doesn’t reflect on any of you.” 

Kai closed his eyes again. The room was quiet, the warm dry air felt like it was suffocating him instead of making him feel relaxed and comfortable like it had before. He could swear he could see flashes and memories of the abbey in his mind. He barely felt himself grimace. Tyson gripped his thigh harder and he opened his eyes and instantly felt his body and mind return to reality. 

“You guys have only met your great grandfather on a few occasions. I’ve made sure to that. But there’s a reason for that.” 

“I’ve always wondered that-” Ren piped up.

“Ren don’t interrupt!” Tyson shushed him up fast so he wouldn’t distract Kai. 

“I don’t love my grandfather. When I was a child my parents left me to live their own dreams and I was left alone with him. He didn’t know how to parent me so he sent me off to a special school run by one of his scientists.”

Kai shivered briefly remembering the first day he met Boris. He was kind, too kind. It made Kai’s skin crawl. 

“Where was this school?” Makoto asked.

“It was in Moscow- Russia- I was a child that was shipped from Japan to Russia alone.” 

“That must have been hard.” Goh commented, he felt so many emotions Kai couldn’t read his face. 

“I was scared. But it was nothing compared to what I had to go through at the abbey.” 

Tyson started to gently rub Kai’s thigh, he felt cold as ice. 

“I met Tala there. You know your uncle Tala. We attended the abbey together.”

“So it was a Christian school?” Makoto butted in as if he knew exactly what he was talking about. 

“Orthodox Christianity.” Goh corrected him. 

“It wasn’t a school.” Kai spat, but looked to the ground when he felt his anger boil. 

The room fell silent pretty quickly. 

“It was a research lab. Designed to trick orphans off to streets to a better life. They were forced to stay, and forced to believe they had no other choice. We were all experimented on.”

Kai let his shoulders fall loose and leaned into the couch.

“My grandfather took me out of there a few years later, but the damage had already been done. Tala was still stuck there. I went through something… And lost a lot of the memories I had there. Mr. Dickenson entered me into a tournament, and I met your father. We joined the same team, and you know all about that.” 

There was a long pause. But Goh was still not satisfied. 

“How did Tala get out?” 

Kai sighed, but Tyson spoke up first.

“The last tournament we had we went to Russia, there our rival team was a group of boys from the abbey, Tala was the best on the team.” 

Kai hissed under his breath, “only because they were all enhanced.” 

“What do you mean?” Ren seemed interested. 

“All the experiments performed on us, many of them succeeded. They were brain surgeries, strength enhancers, even going as far as cybernetically enhancing.”

“What did they do to you dad?” 

Goh’s question rang in Kai’s ears. It was the question he didn’t want to be asked, but he knew he had to answer.

“A few years ago when you guys were little… Ren wasn’t here yet. I went to America with Tala and we set up a meeting with the man who ran the abbey… Boris. We managed to get him to confess and threw him in prison. I had no idea what they did to me until he told me, only a few years ago.”

“Did you tell dad when you got back?” 

A shadow crossed Goh’s face. 

“Of course I did. I told him everything.” 

“But you didn’t tell us?” Goh was angry again. 

“You were five Goh! Barely old enough to talk, I couldn’t tell you yet.” 

Goh sat back and scowled.

Makoto was surprisingly the one with some sense. 

“So what did they do to you dad?” 

Again the question vibrated through all of Kai. He decided just to say it all, and get it over with. 

“Boris admitted to not doing a whole lot to me to avoid suspicion that something was going on from my Grandfather. In his case files that I confiscated from him after he admitted I had the perfect body. He wanted to experiment on me so bad, but he needed to do it so no one would notice.”

Kai paused briefly, swallowed and started again.

“They mainly used strength enhancers. They improved my muscles and lifting strength. As a kid I never understood why I was so much stronger than anyone else, I just assumed it was me growing up. In Highschool I noticed how different I was. I got in a fight to beat up some guys that hurt Tyson, I took down so many, and it was so easy. Then I picked up Tyson like it was nothing. I thought I just learned from the abbey. They taught us so many weird things there. How to fight how to shoot… I should have noticed earlier they were trying to make us soldiers.” 

“Soldiers?” Goh said under his breath.

“Yeah. We were all being trained to be soldiers. In the end the abbey never succeeded, and none of us became the soldiers Boris wanted us to be.” 

“No kidding, if everyone had your super strength dad we would be screwed.” 

Makoto laughed it off but Kai was still completely serious. 

“One thing Boris did mention, and it was in his notes… There was a possibility the strength enhancers bounded with my DNA, he told me it could have passed onto my next of kin.” 

Makoto, Ren, and Tyson’s glares all landed on Goh. 

Makoto reached over and swatted his shoulder playfully, “that would explain why you’re so good at lifting the ladies in ballet! And why you always beat me when we wrestle you piece of!-”

Goh looked shocked and blocked himself from Makoto’s next assault. 

“It’s a possibility. Kai admitted. But I would appreciate if you didn’t think about it too much.” Kai’s eyes seemed to burn holes in Goh’s clothes.

Goh shivered to try to rub off Kai’s intense stare. 

“Anyways!” Tyson clapped his hands together giving everyone a slight jump to knock them out of their senses. 

“I think it’s bedtime!” Tyson waved his hands and everyone slowly stood up and dispersed. 

  
Tyson and Kai barely said anything to each other while they took their showers and got ready for bed. 

They both curled up on opposite ends of the bed and Tyson dimmed the lamp so there was a soft yellow light covering the room. 

He often did this, Kai didn’t mind it. It was dark enough for Kai to sleep and light enough for Tyson to read or go on his phone. 

“Tyson…” Kai asked in a grumbled voice. He stayed turned away from him. 

“Do you think it was a good idea to tell them?” 

Kai heard Tyson let out a soft sigh. 

Tyson wrapped his arm around Kai and got as close to him as possible. 

“It had to happen sometime. I’m glad it’s over. It didn’t happen to late in their life, and it didn’t happen to early. And I’m glad they heard it from you.” 

“You’re right.” Kai mumbled. 

“Hey cheer up.” Tyson whispered into Kai’s ear. 

“Stop it Tyson you’re making my ear hot…” 

Tyson grabbed around him tighter. “Or making you hot?” Tyson laughed.

Kai tried to squirm out but Tyson had a tight grip. Kai laughed and tried to throw his arm off.

“Tyson! Stop!” Kai managed to gasp through laughs. 

“I know you’re ticklish Kai…” Tyson let go and shot up with agility Kai hadn’t seen him use in years. 

Tyson wrapped his legs around Kai and sat on top of him. 

“Come on Tyson we’re too old for this…” 

“Too old to be a little silly? Never!” Tyson grabbed Kai’s sides and started to move his fingers wildly. 

“Stop! Oh my god!” Kai couldn’t stop laughing and tried to move around under Tyson to get out. 

After a minute or so Kai stopped trying and stopped to hold his sides and looked up at Tyson dramatically. 

“What!?” Tyson asked frightened. 

“Tyson…” Kai reached up to his hair and pulled.

“Ow! Why would you do that?!” Tyson asked angrily. 

Kai brought a piece of hair down towards Tyson’ face. 

“That’s a really long grey hair isn't it?” Kai grinned. 

Tyson gasped and grabbed his head. “No! I’m too young to start greying!” 

“Welcome to my world.” Kai laughed. 

Tyson chuckled but still held his head.

“Are you actually really worried about this?” Kai asked pointing the the hair he was still holding. 

“Well!- I’m aging!” 

Kai touched his cheek, “We’ve always been aging.” 

“Shut up…” Tyson turned his head away. 

“Hey Tyson.” Kai got his attention again. Kai moved Tyson's long hair back behind his shoulders. “Remember? When we agreed to always love each other. Even when we get old and grey… And all wrinkly?” 

“Yeah…” Tyson exhaled. 

“I’m still going to love you-” Kai pulled himself out from under Tyson and kissed him on the cheek.

Kai slowly pulled away, Tyson mumbled, “but my stamina…” 

Kai moved Tyson’s bangs out of the way. “You’ll always be an amazing kendo teacher, even if you can’t swing a sword. And come on, knowing us we will keep having sex until we can’t move anymore…” 

Tyson burst out laughing, “You really think so?” 

“I know so.” Kai smiled and kissed Tyson’s lips, they kept going till they were making out and Kai was overtop of Tyson. 

“We can’t- the kids probably aren’t even asleep yet…” Tyson whispered so only Kai could hear. 

“Look at us Tyson… We’re happy, we have a family to raise, a dojo to run, and a company to keep up, and you’re worried about grey hairs.” 

“Shut up!” Tyson tried to push Kai off lazily. 

Kai fell backwards into the bed and Tyson nuzzled up to his side. Kai wrapped an arm around Tyson and they both fell asleep after the exhausting day they had.


	56. Extras (Blurb 6)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter- Kai deals with homophobia in the Hiwatari company as well as the local annual gay pride parade and his own sexuality and family.  
> *Personal note: I'm certain I wrote this when I was going through experiences with my own sexuality and homophobia around me so I think it was highly influenced on my own experiences. Hope you enjoy! This chapter is very special to me and has touched a lot of my friends as well!

“We have another retirement party to attend to this evening as well- We also need to hire some people to do some more hiring upstairs and downstairs-” 

“That’s a shame. We’re losing more people still?” 

Kai was getting briefed by one of his assistants. It happened every morning but there seemed to be a lot more news today. 

“Most of our higher up staff, leaders etcetera are older and starting to retire. Our younger staff makes up the bulk of downstairs assistants, messengers, errand boys…”

“Yes of course. That seems obvious but I can't understand why its a problem.”

“So we need to start considering younger people to take the positions that are being left behind…” 

The Hiwatari company was filled with old men with old ideas. Kai knew this so he kept his homelife a secret. Now the older generation that still kept the ideals of this company were leaving, retiring, or getting too old. 

“We also have an invitation to join a parade next month.” 

Kai sat in his chair staring out the window, listening, but distant. 

“What’s the invitation?”

His assistant looked uncomfortable for a second.

“The invitation?” Kai asked again with more attitude. 

“Oh it’s just a general invitation it was given out to every company in town I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it-”

“What is it?” Kai tried to rush her. 

“It’s an invitation to attend or give our approval or donation to the LGBT parade downtown-”

“Ah I see.” 

There was no debate. The Hiwatari company had too many ties to Russia and too many old men and women who would throw a fit if Kai participated in any way.

_There’s no way I can approve our support of a parade like that. Goh, Makoto, and Ren were attending the parade this year, but Kai and Tyson could not step near it. As much as Kai would love to go and see the love and support people would give to people like him and Tyson, he just couldn’t be seen there._

“Most of our assistants up here are younger… Speaking of which we need a new leader of our department, our relations manager is retiring in a few months-” 

“I understand. That will be enough today, thank you.” 

Kai had a meeting with all of the higher ups in his company. He was sitting down at the end of the table while someone went over some graphs. 

Outside the window was a mash of buildings the same size as theirs in the middle of the city. On one building a massive flag rolled down and swung in the wind, everyone in the conference room went quiet and stared out the window. 

The flag was familiar to Kai, he had seen it many times visiting in America. It was a simple rainbow flag, but everyone in the room knew what it stood for. 

An old man almost as old as Kai’s grandfather spat and cussed in the corner of the room. Kai couldn’t help but give him a brief mean look. 

“That’s disgusting.” an older lady crossed her arms across the table from Kai. “Mr. Hiwatari could you hire someone to take it down?” I don’t think anyone will otherwise, and I can’t stand to look at it for the rest of the day.” 

Kai leaned forward and folded his hands over the table, he didn’t say anything quite yet. 

The man who was showing off the graphs played with the cuffs of his shirt and scowled. He looked grossed out as well, everyone in the room looked disgusted. 

Kai could tell he was the only one who believed something different in the room, and he was the only one who could see sense. 

Kai waved his hand cutting the tension, “it’s not our problem, I won’t pay to take down something that’s not our problem.” 

The woman spat and looked away from him. 

Kai couldn’t take the feeling of the room anymore. 

_These people have no connection to the community. They have no idea what they’ve been through, just to love, what I’ve been through. How dare they look at my life and tell me I’m not allowed to be happy, that I don’t deserve my kids, Tyson or my family. It’s too much._

Kai stood up and placed his hands on the table, just barely correcting himself in time so he didn’t smash it.

“I’m taking a break.”

“Mr. Hiwatari that’s not like you-”

“It’s like me now.” Kai muttered, turned, and walked out of the room. 

Over the next week Kai became increasingly annoyed at his more traditional coworkers. The parade was being advertised all over town, mostly around his building, and they had everything to say about it. 

Kai was walking the lower levels of the building. Where all the workers sat in their booths and read over paperwork. He wasn’t usually on this low of a level, most of the workers didn’t even know who he was. 

He was only here to pick up some important paperwork and talk to the department leader about hiring his replacement. 

Kai was amazed at how young most of the desk workers were. Some of them only looked a few years older than Goh. 

Kai turned a corner where he thought the leader’s office would be. He saw a young man standing there with his hands folded in front of him being scolded by an older man. 

The younger boy had his hair gelled and wore an earring. Kai decided to play an old game he invented in Russia.

_Is he gay or a magician?_

Since Kai already knew his job he knew he couldn’t be a magician, but he hoped it was a pastime. Being that openly gay in his company was dangerous. 

Then Kai clued into the argument, which he discovered was very one sided. 

“And if I ever figure out you were part of that rebel group that nailed all that colourful propaganda on this building I will have you fired for property damage!”

“Sir I never ever said anything about even participating in this years parade!-”

“Don’t talk back to me! You’ve done enough here!”

“I’m employee of the month!-” The boy pleaded.

“And you’ve done enough!”

The man looked like he was going to open his mouth to say more angry words but Kai butted in from around the corner. 

“Excuse me-” Kai said politely. 

“I’m not taking resumes from any more young people- Did they send you from downstairs?!- I don’t need anymore kids in here like him.” The old man said pointing to the boy beside him who still looked uncomfortable and beaten. 

“Excuse me?” Kai grinned.

_He has no idea who I am._

“You heard me! If they sent you from downstairs I’m not taking any more resumes!”

Kai ignored him and let all his attention fall on to the boy beside him. 

“You alright?” Kai asked him, the old man beside him looked angry again.

The old man’s face was beet red and he opened his mouth to talk, Kai lifted his hand and surprisingly shut him up for a moment. 

“Did you just-!” The old man started but Kai cut him off with a gesture again. 

“Do you feel threatened by him?” Kai let all his attention fall on to the boy. 

“I-” The boy stammered, “Yes.”

Kai nodded and let his attention glide over to the old man, who wasted no time in arguing again. 

“Who do you think you are? Get out of my building!” 

“I’m sorry to burst your bubble but I’m not from downstairs.”

The man’s mouth shut close with a snap.

“I’m from upstairs. But I’m honoured that you think I’m so young.”

The young boy couldn’t help his mouth from forming a smile. 

“Are you the assistant that needs to pick up those papers?” The old man swallowed a lump in his throat, “for- for the president?” 

Kai grinned.

“No my assistant was busy today, so I decided to take a walk myself. And I’m sure glad I did. I also came here to discuss your replacement.” 

“So w-who are you?” The old man stuttered. 

Kai held out his hand in an overly formal handshake. 

“The name’s Kai Hiwatari, president and owner of the Hiwatari company, nice to meet you.” 

The old man reached out his hand and shook Kai’s hand immediately, Kai could tell he was shaking. 

“Let’s go talk in your office.” 

The man guided Kai to his office. 

They both sat down Kai took a seat in front of the desk first, without being asked. 

“Sorry- my department's kind of a mess right now- If I had known you were coming-”

“Don’t worry about it.” Kai said while looking around his office, clearly judging him. 

“I-”

Kai cut him off, “I can clearly see how you run this floor; and I don’t like it.” 

The man gulped and played with his thumbs.

“You deserve retirement, sooner rather than later. Who’s your most worthy replacement here right now?” 

“Well- See- That’s why I wanted to talk to you sir… Everyone here is so young, they have no idea what they are getting into.”

Kai sighed, “Then who’s been working here the longest?”

The man leaned back in his seat grabbing a pen and twirling it. “That would be Lee-”

“Send Lee in then.” 

The old man picked up the phone and talked into it, no sooner did the door to his office open.

The boy from before walked in. 

“Yes?” He said with a composure that surprised Kai, considering what he had just been through. 

“Are you Lee?” Kai asked, “Sit down.” 

Lee sat down. 

“Tell me about Lee.” Kai demanded the old man. 

“His file is right here…” The man grabbed a file from a pile on his desk, he handed it to Kai.

Kai took the file and placed it on his lap without looking at it. “Now tell me about Lee.” 

“He- Does he have to be here?” 

“Yes.” Kai was abrupt and straight to the point. 

“Lee is- A good worker. He started here almost seven years ago now and this is his eleventh time earning employee of the month-”

“He sounds like a good worker, so why were you wringing him out earlier?” 

“He- Lee has made some mistakes lately-”

“Like?” 

“He misplaced a file- And ordered the wrong supplies-”

“Easy mistakes, I’m sure we’ve all made them.” Kai stated the obvious while giving Lee a comforting side glance.

“Lee is a good worker, one of the best in my department but he’s been dressing less professional lately, and-”

“And?” Kai pressured him more.

“It’s making people uncomfortable in the department because he is-” the old man whispered under his breath, “a homosexual…”

“Ah I see.” Kai nodded his head as if he understood.

Kai turned to Lee.

Lee’s face was solid, like stone, and cold as ice.

Kai couldn’t stop looking at him. He wasn’t much older than Mio. And then a thought hit him.

_What if Goh, Makoto, or Ren grew up to be gay? They would want to show it, they would want to be happy. Men like this are making men like Lee unhappy. I won’t let that happen. I want the future of the Hiwatari company to be hopeful, I want to future to be bright for my children._

“Lee.” 

Lee’s eyes shot up, watery, “Yes sir!” 

“I see no wedding ring, are you married?” 

“No sir… I don’t like women…”

“No of course, I meant to a man.” 

“I- No- But I do have a boyfriend.”

Kai felt a bit of jealousy, being able to say that so easily wasn’t fair.

“How long have you too been together for?”

“Since highschool… Almost 8 years. Why do you ask?”

Lee looked terrified. 

“Calm down Lee I’m just curious.” Kai smiled. 

Lee looked confused, and slightly scared.

“I’m not out to get you Lee, this company needs more acceptance for people like u- you.”

The old man stood up dramatically and started shouting. “We don’t! The Hiwatari company has always followed tradition!”

“And what is tradition? How can a technology weapons company stray so far away from the future?! We need to adapt with the times and we need to start accepting the fact that things change.” Kai got up from his seat slowly. 

Kai opened Lee’s file and read over it briefly. 

“Lee seems more than worthy of a promotion. I want you to be out of here in two weeks. From the look of Lee’s review he already knows how to operate your position.” Kai closed the file and put it back on the desk with the others. “Are you alright with this Lee?”

Lee jumped up and bowed, “yes sir! Yes of course! I’ve been trying to get a promotion for years! I- thank you so much!” Lee bowed again. 

Kai turned to the old man, “Where’s that paperwork?” 

He reached to a pile of papers in a binder on his desk and handed it to Kai. 

As Kai grabbed it away from him he mumbled, “people like you two are the reason this company is falling apart…” 

Kai ignored it, bowed to them both and left the room. 

Kai sat at his desk, the afternoon light shone through his windows and washed the room in a bright yellow.

Something that man said worried Kai.

_The company’s not falling apart… It’s doing better than it has in years… My grandfather kept it stable. I’ve managed to pull the Hiwatari company out and make it better… But it’s not falling apart._

Kai knew the facts but he still spent hours reviewing paperwork and looking over the numbers. 

His assistant knocked on the door, he let her come in. 

“Are you okay sir?”

Kai glanced up at her from his desk. He understood why she sounded distressed. His eyes had large bags and his desk was covered in papers. He had a half empty coffee cup on his desk as well.

“Oh I’m fine, just reviewing some stuff.”

“Can I look?” She asked.

“Of course.”

She stood beside him and picked up a paper.

“All this is is a bunch of numbers and statistic from the past few years? Are you comparing?”

“Yes…” Kai admitted glumly. “I’m just making sure that everything I know is true.” 

“It is. There’s nothing you don’t know about this company. You are trying very hard.” 

“Thank you.” Kai grinned.

It was then he noticed that she was standing very close to him.

_Too close._

“Excuse me-”

“You’ve never told me about your homelife. You have kids right? Your wife? Was the marriage arranged…” She asked while holding up more papers pretending to add the math.

Kai laughed and pushed himself away from her, he sat back in his chair.

“Trust me, that won’t work.” 

“What won’t work?” She said in a voice Kai recognized from ages ago.

“Your flirting-”

“Oh trust me- You’d know if I was.” She angled herself towards Kai and took a step closer. 

Kai feared this situation was becoming more serious too fast.

“I don’t have a wife-” He panicked 

“Perfect.” She placed a hand on the arm of Kai’s chair.

“It won’t work- stay back- don’t touch me. I love one person and that is all.”

She recoiled and took a step back. 

“Really? So your wife is gone and now you’re in love with someone else? Do you raise the kids together?” 

“Yeah, sure.” Kai placed his hand to his mouth. He wanted to throw up, his nerves felt like they were on fire. 

She giggled, “Alright, I won’t bug you then.” 

A week later Kai was walking around his floor at the office. Political gossip magazines were all the rage in the office. They were almost as bad as celebrity magazines with the new age attractive leaders. He had two assistants following behind him trying to keep up with him and tell him news. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a magazine on a worker’s desk, he picked it up immediately and practically threw it in his assistant's face. 

“What is this!?” 

There was a picture of Kai on the front, probably taken during one of his public conferences. There was text covering the front that read:

**Is he cheating?**

**The love affair after the death… or divorce?**

**His secret love life finally revealed!**

**It’s been a secret for so long!**

“Just gossip sir…” 

Kai could feel his heartbeat speed up.

_What if Tyson sees this? He won’t be happy… He can’t think I’m cheating I’m not!_

“With all do respect sir it wouldn’t get this bad if you just told the public about your marriage-”

“I am not married!” 

Kai never acted out like this in the office, it attracted the attention of everyone on the floor. 

“Sir you said you were- This is why everyone is so confused!”

“I would be married if I could don’t doubt me.”

“You’re a mystery! It’s why the gossip magazines take so much interest in you-”

“Whoever here is selling information to the paparazzi is going to pay-”

“Sir what’s gotten into you?!”

Kai was angrier than ever, he pointed to the cover of the magazine with a fast gesture.

“I don’t appreciate this! My family doesn’t appreciate this! My sons don’t appreciate this! And my husband would be livid if he found out! That’s why whoever sold me out to the public is going to pay bigtime!”

Kai’s chest was heaving as a long drawn out silence fell over the office. Kai thought his speech just made an impact, but then he realized what he had said.

He dropped the magazine on the floor and stared into the distance, he didn’t blink, he didn’t move. 

There was no way he could get out of this.

“S- sir?” One of his assistants tried to gently nudge him out of it.

“I- I have to go. I’m going home.”

Kai slowly walked out of the office, down the elevator and took his car out of the building. 

It felt like he was home in a flash. He parked his car and sat there for a moment. 

He turned off the car and pulled out his key. 

He went through the dojo’s gates, completely forgetting to lock it behind him. He walked into the house, Tyson wasn’t there.

_He’s teaching a class._

Kai made a sharp left from the front door entrance to the dojo. 

Tyson was rolling up some mats with some kids, finishing up class, most of the kids were getting picked up. 

Kai didn’t even stop. He advanced on Tyson with a fast walk. 

Tyson pushed himself off the floor and stood up in front of Kai.

“Kai!? What are you doing home so earl-”

Kai embraced Tyson and hid his face in his shoulder.

“I’m so so sorry Tyson- I’ve made a mistake-”

“Kai!?” Tyson was confused, but he held Kai anyways.

The kids that hadn’t been picked up yet were confused. 

“Kai? Can you… Unglue yourself for a second…”

Kai drowsily pulled himself away.

“In a few minutes the rest of the kids should be gone, can you wait in the living room for me? We will talk in a few minutes… Maybe even put on some comfier clothes, you’re still wearing your suit…” 

Kai looked down at himself, he barely paid any attention to what he was wearing at the time. 

Kai nodded and turned around slowly and left the dojo.

Tyson hoped these kids would be gone soon.

Kai found himself effortlessly sitting on the couch in Tyson’s sweatpants with a T-shirt he couldn’t remember where he pulled it from.

He rubbed his eyes with his fists and let his face fall in his hands.

_Everything’s going to be different now… I need to protect my family._

“Kai?” 

Tyson appeared in front of him, he sat on the couch and started to untie his hair. 

Kai pulled himself out of his trance and sat up. 

“Kai you looked exhausted. Why are you home so early?

Tyson became more and more distressed when Kai didn’t answer and just looked at him.

“Kai you brought your work phone home.” Tyson reached for it on the coffee table. He unlocked it, “Kai you have so many messages, this thing is going off like crazy!” 

“I know.” Kai simply answered and sat back into the couch. 

“What’s wrong? Did something happen at work?”

“Yeah.” Kai closed his eyes. 

“What happened?” 

Tyson grabbed Kai’s thigh, Kai fell forward again into his hands.

“Kai you’re shaking! What’s wrong? What happened?” 

Kai pulled his face up again, it was wet and filled with tears. 

“I- Tyson- I was angry and I made a mistake- I told everyone- I had a husband.”

Kai took a painful breath in and panicked sobs came out too. Tyson grabbed Kai and pulled him into him. 

“It’s okay Kai! It’s not a big deal oh my god stop crying…"

“You would understand if you knew the people I worked with…” 

“Just calm down Kai. We will think about this later. Right now you need to calm down.” Tyson pulled Kai down with him so they were cuddling on the couch, Kai on top. Kai wrapped his arms around Tyson and burrowed into him again. Tyson gently rubbed his back.

They stayed like that for a long time. They heard the door crash open and loud voices echo through the house.

“The boys are home Kai.”

Kai didn’t move or make a sound. 

“Are you sleeping?” Tyson whispered and played with Kai’s hair. 

Makoto came into the living room without realizing they were there and threw down his bag on the floor.

“Can you three be quiet? Your father’s sleeping.” 

Makoto turned around and gave a confused expression. 

“Why is dad home so early? Why do you still have your uniform on…”

“Your father had a crappy day at work so he came home early. He’s tired, can you tell Goh and Ren-”

“Tell me what?” Goh appeared around the couch with Ren behind him. 

“Your father is sleeping- don’t make a lot of noise-”

“I’m not sleeping.” 

Tyson heard a voice come from Kai and felt him try to pull himself off him. 

Kai groggily pushed himself off Tyson and sat on the edge of the couch. 

“Ah…” Kai mumbled and rubbed his head.

Tyson sat up with Kai, “how are you feeling?” 

“I wasn’t sleeping for long, the door opening woke me up.” 

“Sorry dad…” Ren apologized first. 

“It’s alright. Tyson I suspect we might be getting a visitor soon.”

“A visitor? Who?” 

“The man who knows everything instantly.” Kai grinned slightly while still rubbing his head.

There was a knock on the door. 

“There he is now.” Kai looked and sounded defeated.

“I’ll get it…” Goh offered. 

Goh opened the door slightly and looked out the crack, “Great grandfather?!”

“Is your father here?” A dark familiar voice echoed through the house. 

“Which one?” Goh smirked. 

“ _Your _father.” Voltaire repeated himself and pushed his way through the door.__

____

____

Goh looked startled for a second, he wasn’t used to his dad's being addressed like that. 

“Kai I want to talk to you alone.” 

Kai didn’t move off the seat. He made a hand gesture to an open armchair. 

“Sit down grandfather you’re too old to be standing up throwing a fit.”

Surprisingly Voltaire took the seat without a moment's hesitation. 

“It’s nice to see my great grandchild again. Why have you been hiding him from me all these years?” 

Kai sighed, “Because you have three great grandchildren, and you refuse to acknowledge them all, so you get none.” 

“Goh looks so much like you did when you were young.” Voltaire’s gaze didn’t fall off of Goh when he said it, Goh sat down on the floor beside his brothers visibly uncomfortable. 

“Why are you here?” Tyson asked, “Of course, not like we mind your company.” 

Kai shot Tyson a vicious glance. 

“Just to visit. No other reason. Kai can I talk to you alone?” 

Voltaire leaned on his cane looking more tired and old than ever.

“Anything you say to me you can say in front of my family. Also have you considered a walker? You’re getting pretty old for just a cane, maybe a wheelchair perhaps?” 

Kai grinned and could barely hear Voltaire cuss under his breath.

“You’ve always been like that to me Kai. You will have to be even more careful pretty soon. We know how you love to run your tongue.”

Kai sneered and rolled his eyes.

“You still act like a child, you need to learn to hold your tongue when necessary. Today was proof of that.”

“Proof of what? Dad what happened!?” Goh questioned him angrily. 

“What have you heard?” Kai tried to regain his composure.

“Nothing too big, just that one of the most important faces of international politics and industrialized companies came out of the closet to the whole world today.” 

A quick hush fell over the room. 

“I didn’t come out to everyone I just said I had a husband-” 

“That’s coming out to everyone dad.” Makoto pointed out. 

Voltaire had an expression Kai couldn’t read, it wasn’t disgust, was he worried?

“So you panicked, left, and went home to your husband. Professional Kai.” 

Kai was sick of seeing his grandfather’s face. 

“Although…” Voltaire continued, “I would have done the same thing, I did do the same thing- I loved my wife and our marriage wasn’t arranged. If anyone did what you did back when I took over the company you would have been hung. Nowadays it should be okay.” 

Kai raised his eyebrows, “are you… approving of me?” 

“Not approving… Just hopefully wishing everything will work out in the end.” 

“R-really?” 

Kai had never been so surprised by his grandfather. 

Voltaire didn’t respond with words, he just nodded his head slowly. 

Kai felt overwhelmed, even though he didn’t show it. Then a thought occurred to him. If he had to ask someone who understood his position, it had to be his grandfather. 

“I just- Don’t know where to go from here- For the company I mean.”

Voltaire awkwardly shuffled in his seat and leaned back on his cane. 

Kai didn’t run his mouth, he desperately wished for an answer. 

“I think…” Voltaire started.

Kai stared back at him waiting for the answer he needed. 

“Now that you’re out… You no longer have nothing holding you back.” 

Voltaire did make a point, a warm wave washed over Kai. 

“You have complete freedom.” 

Voltaire finished his sentence knowing he left Kai in shambles. 

All of the air in Kai’s lungs got stuck in his throat, his eyes darted side to side when he noticed his grandfather was right. 

Now that everyone knew, there was nothing to hold Kai back. Nothing had to be a secret anymore. But the weight of protecting his family still weighed on his shoulders. 

“But- My family-” Kai croaked. 

It seemed like Voltaire had an answer for everything. 

“Kai. You seem to ignore the fact that you are one of the most powerful men in the world. When I was in your position I felt the same way about protecting my family, about protecting your father, and you. You have every connection possible. You can and will protect Tyson and your kids even if you have to use every connection we have. The next few weeks will be hard, and extremely difficult, you will have to reshape the Hiwatari company. Although you already have made the company greater… You’re going to have to do it again. This time it will be modern, and I believe you have the intelligence and drive to make it better than it’s ever been.”

Kai was left speechless. 

Voltaire stood up with much effort, every joint in his body seemed to creak, and his cane looked like his lifeline. 

“You- Don’t want to stay for tea?” Tyson asked politely; Kai realized he was just as shaken up as he was himself. 

“No I can’t stay. I have another errand to attend to-”

“I can help you out to your car.” Goh offered. 

“I would like that.” 

Goh didn’t look at Tyson or Kai while he helped Voltaire down the step to the front door. He helped him get his shoes on and held open the door. Voltaire turned around briefly. 

“Farewell Kai. And Tyson… Treat him well.” 

He hesitated before accepting the door. Goh gave Makoto a light wave while closing the door behind him and Voltaire. 

Goh politely followed beside Voltaire as he waddled down the cobblestone pathway. 

“The path is kind of rocky… Did you need a hand?” Goh place his hand near Voltaire offering the stability. 

Voltaire hesitated for a second, as if he was going to accept the help, but then he clicked his tongue and directed his attention elsewhere. 

“Just cause I’m old doesn't mean I need help.” 

“Alright, alright…” 

Goh looked away, it felt like this walk was taking so long as if the old man’s waddling became slower.

“You look so much like your father when he was your age…”

“Which one?” Goh repeated his earlier question, smirking playfully.

“And your attitude is almost identical…” Voltaire rolled his eyes. 

The mood turned sour. 

“Are you planning to take over the company after your father? Or are you pursuing your ballet?” 

A dark feeling crept up Goh’s neck. He didn’t even talk to his parent’s about his future. He was almost out of highschool but he had no idea what he wanted to pursue. 

“I- Haven’t done ballet in a long time. It’s too competitive for me.” 

“And it’s dangerous for you.” Voltaire stated matter-of-factly. 

Goh gave him a death glare from the side when he noticed Voltaire was picking on his short experience with his eating disorder. 

“You know why your father’s had you and Makoto right?” 

Goh felt an anger rise in his stomach, he now understood why his great grandfather riled up his father so much. 

“Why?” Goh sneered through his teeth, his curiosity still got the best of him. 

“They both have important family legacies that can only be passed down through blood. Makoto gets the dojo, while you get the Hiwatari company.” 

They had finally made it out of the gates of the dojo and were walking along the sidewalk. 

“I’ve never even thought of it. I’m not smart enough to run a company like that- And I feel like Makoto has no interest in the dojo. I mean he knows kendo- but we all do. I don’t think he has the passion for it… And neither do I-”

“You can be like your father- Or your grandfather. It’s your choice. Kai’s father betrayed Kai and myself the day he left and refused to take responsibility for the company. Kai still hasn’t talked to him since the day he left. Keep in mind Goh- If you don’t take over the company all the work your father has done all these years will be for nothing. You are smart, and you are very intelligent, you have the drive and capability to run the company. Remember that.” 

Goh’s mouth felt dry. He had no idea what to say, or even what to think.

“Here we are.” 

A fancy black car was at the curb before Goh could even clue in to what was happening. 

“Well- Um. Bye then.” Goh waved before stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

Voltaire opened his arms and Goh awkwardly took his hands out of his pockets and gave him a short hug. 

“Bye Goh.” Voltaire pulled away and opened the side door to the car. “Oh, and remember, you can do whatever you put your mind too.” 

“Bye…” Goh’s voice drifted away.

Voltaire climbed in the car and closed the door. The car rolled away down the street. Goh couldn’t help but watch effortlessly.

A few days later Kai was finished waiting for the company to settle. He was ready to head back. 

It was Monday morning. 

He wasn’t the kind of guy to quit. Tyson told him many years ago he couldn’t see him at any other kind of job other than the Hiwatari company. He trained his whole life for this, he had to see it through. 

The regular Monday morning routine. Tyson was up to make breakfast, Kai and the kids got ready, they all sat down to eat and then rushed out to make it to work and school. Makoto, Goh, and Ren all waved goodbye and rushed out the door to run to school. Kai lagged behind slowly tying his shoes while sitting on the front step. 

He felt arms being wrapped around him from behind, Tyson leaned his chin on Kai’s shoulder.

“How you doing?” Tyson asked in a casual way, it soothed Kai. 

“Mmmm…” Kai stopped bothering with his shoes for a moment and reached up to play with Tyson’s hair. “We will figure out soon enough…” 

Kai sighed. The way he exhaled caught Tyson’s attention, it was heavy, you could tell he was more than nervous. 

Tyson slide himself around Kai and grabbed for his shoelaces trying to tie up his shoes. 

Kai grinned, “I can’t remember the last time you did this for me…” 

“We were really young I think… I can’t remember why I tied your shoes…” 

“All I remember was you telling me you'd be in the same position when I got home…” 

Tyson let out a laugh. 

“Right! I remember that! Did I ever give you a blowjob when you got home?” Tyson giggled. 

“I’m pretty sure you did.” Kai let a chuckle slip out.

Tyson’s spirit felt uplifted when he heard Kai laugh. 

“Did you want me to be in this position later tonight as well?” Tyson asked coyly while tilting his head slightly. 

Surprisingly Kai blushed, “I- Aren’t we a little too old for this!?” 

“I keep telling you and proving that we’re never too old!” Tyson finished with his shoes and stood up. 

Kai leaned back on the step. He was smiling but still let out a weary sigh. 

“Maybe you just need a vacation soon.” Tyson grinned and leaned over Kai. 

“What like a second honeymoon?” Kai rolled his eyes but the idea made him secretly excited.

“Ray’s been making a big deal about our anniversary coming up…” 

“What anniversary?” Kai asked confused. 

“Apparently our 25th anniversary of ‘being together’” 

“Wow. It’s been that long already?” Kai was bewildered. 

“Well Goh is almost eighteen. He’s graduating soon you know.” 

“How can Ray even know the date of our anniversary if we didn’t really have a date that we started ‘being together’?” 

“I’m not so sure honestly. But I trust Ray with these things.” Tyson offered a hand out to Kai. 

Kai took Tyson’s hand and was launched into the air in front of Tyson. He grabbed the back of Kai’s head and kissed him, helping him prep for the day. 

“Thanks… I needed that…” Kai had wrapped his arms around Tyson’s waist unconsciously. 

“Now get going to work! You’re going to be late!” 

Tyson kissed him again and even then it took a bit of work to get Kai out the door. 

Kai had parked his car in the parking garage and headed up one of the elevators. He purposely arrived a few minutes later so he would skip elevator traffic.

Miraculously he made it all the way up to his floor in an empty elevator. 

His stomach felt like it might flip over when the doors opened and he got a view of the regular busy office floor. 

He walked to his office feeling the hot glares on the back of his neck. 

He managed to get into his office and close the door behind him. 

_It went okay, but I still have the rest of the day to conquer._

There was a soft knock on the door to his office a few minutes later. He told them to enter, it was one of his many assistants. 

“Good morning Mr. Hiwatari, how are you? You’ve been absent for the past few days.” 

Kai nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine now. What did I miss?” 

She had been holding a pile of sheets against her with one arm and started to sort through them. She dropped them on Kai’s desk. She described what he missed in detail while pointing to empty sections where he needed to read or sign. 

“So that’s all…” She stood back up waiting to be dismissed, staring at Kai wildly.

“What are you looking at?” Kai gave off a defensive attitude.

“N-nothing! Sorry Sir!” 

Kai stared at her back unmoving, as if challenging her. 

“Am I… Dismissed?” She gulped.

“Oh- Yes of course, go when you’re ready…” 

She turned and left the room in a rush. Kai breathed a sigh of relief and swiveled his chair so he was looking out the window. He closed his eyes and let the warm sun rest on his face. He looked towards the building where the flag was unrolled a few days prior during his meeting. It was promptly taken down but the memory was still there. 

Another knock on the door, Kai welcomed whoever it was and the door was opened carefully by another one of his assistants. 

“Sir-” 

“Yes?” Kai addressed him formally. 

He was a younger boy, and he looked visibly nervous.

“What’s wrong?” Kai asked with a legitimate concern. 

“Um… I know it’s early… And I’m sorry sir- But I just- I respect you greatly! You probably barely know my name…” 

The boy bowed and stayed in that position. 

Kai became nervous himself and became irritated because of it, “So? What is it? Tell me?”

“I just- I figured you would want to know what’s going around in the office-”

“I don’t care about idle gossip.” Kai stated bluntly and stood up from his desk.

“Not gossip sir- People are talking about you- But it’s only natural! After that announcement I mean…”

“Get to the point.” Kai gritted his teeth. 

“I witnessed some… Some abuse.”

“Oh. That’s serious. Have you filed a report yet?” Kai felt a sigh of relief slip out.

The boy stood up straight and fidgeted with his hands. 

“When I was getting some files from one of the lower floors there were many employees standing around a young boy… Cussing at him and calling him names… They mentioned he would be in a better position now that-” The boy cut himself off.

“Now that what?!” Kai demanded to know. 

“That his boss’s boss is a… They said a word I don’t want to repeat… Just like him.” 

There was a fast silence that enveloped the room. Kai felt his pulse stop and his heart run cold. 

But then Kai thought of something. It put a skip in his heart and a warm fog heat up his body. 

_He is in a better position now! They know they can’t touch him… Or hurt him because of who he is… Because I’m like him too._

Kai grinned, “Don’t worry. I expected this kind of thing. But in all honesty he’s in a better position now.”

“Now I- I’m not gay myself… But I have nothing against it, him or you- And I couldn't stand sitting back and watching that kind of abuse just happen at this company.”

“I understand. You don’t have to say anything like that… But I do appreciate it.” 

Kai sat back down in his chair and continued to look over the papers he had sprawled over his desk.

“So are you going to do anything about it!?” 

Kai stared at the boy slightly startled, he had no idea he would react so fiercely. 

“There’s not a lot I can do…” Kai looked away feeling defeated. 

“Forgive me sir but- There’s so much you could do!”

“Like?” Kai asked quizzically. 

“I don’t… know but it seems like a waste… To be in this position and not do anything about it!” 

Then it dawned on Kai. 

There was a lot he could do. He didn’t have to hide anymore. 

“I have a plan. Do you want to help?” Kai asked his assistant, who’s eyes glossed and a big smile grew on his face. 

“What I want you to do first is contact the organizers of the parade, the one that’s happening in a week or so. I don’t know the exact date of the parade but my kids are going.” 

“No problem, consider it done. And what about here? Are we going to do anything about the bullying or…” 

“Bullying? Is there more going on than you are telling me?” Kai glared. 

The boy took a deep breath, “Yes… It’s happened to me… And some other coworkers-” 

“All younger right? Mostly been accused by older co worker's right?” 

“Mostly older… Some younger…” 

“That’s all I needed to hear.” 

Kai got up from the chair with a start and slammed his hands on the table. He threw off his suit jacket and left it on the side of his chair. He didn’t know where he was going but he was going fast.

He pushed past the boy and out the door into his offices. 

The offices on this floor was large and covered the whole floor. He walked directly down the middle isle. The tension in the room between workers was so dense it made it difficult for Kai to walk. 

Kai was so worried about himself he was blind to the change that was happening inside the company. 

Across the office he felt a commotion. Not a lot of work seemed to be getting done. He walked towards the conflict. 

There was an older supervisor and a man a bit younger than Kai. 

“I am not having that in my office!” 

“Come on it’s not hurting anybody! But looks a little ugly in my stall!”

“If you hang that up anywhere within miles of here you will be gone faster than you can count to-”

“What’s the problem here?!” Kai blurted in jumping into the argument at full pace. 

“Mr. Hiwatari!” The man jumped up and bowed, the supervisor followed suite moments after.

“Speak.” Kai gestured towards the man. 

“I would like to hang a small pride flag in my stall but our supervisor doesn’t approve. Therefore I can’t decorate my stall with what I want.” 

“It’s indecent Mr. Hiwatari!” The supervisor still stood his ground. 

Kai felt an instant rage burn inside him. 

“Give me that.” Kai grabbed the small flag away from the man who was holding onto it with all his might. 

“This bothers you!?” Kai angrily showed the supervisor the flag. 

“Yes! It’s indecent and makes the other workers uncomfortable!” 

“So does the picture of your wife in your office but I respect what you hold dear and how you like to decorate your personal space. According to our policies as long as it’s not pornographic or offensive you can decorate your personal space however you see fit.” Kai spat back angrily at the man.

“It’s offensive to me!” The man still tried to cling at straws. 

“This is offensive to you!?” Kai threw the flag back into his face. “It’s a rainbow if that hurts you in anyway you need to grow a pair. I don’t let anyone so sensitive stay employed at my company that’s for sure!” 

Kai turned around and raised the flag in the air with one hand. 

“Does anyone have a problem with this?!” 

No one said a word. 

Kai turned around and put a hand on an empty desk and climbed up with a quick hop. Everyone in the office crowded around in a mass huddle of confusion. 

Kai reached down to something on the desk and stood on his tiptoes to reach the ceiling. He stood back after pinning the flag to the ceiling and hopped off the desk with little effort. 

“There. Now if anyone has a problem with this flag or symbol and what it represents you can talk to me about it. From now on the Hiwatari company will be giving full support and funding to LGBTQ plus centres and we are in full support of the parade next weekend. If anyone working here has a problem with that I expect a full resignation letter on my desk by tomorrow morning. And if you want that in writing talk to one of my assistants.” 

Kai turned around to the supervisor. 

“Thank you for your time.” Kai gave a slight bow before turning and heading back to his office. 

Before he made it he could hear noise start in the silence. First there were a few claps, and then some cheering. Before he knew it a lot of the young and some older people were cheering and rooting for him. 

It made him feel good that he was doing something, making a change for the better. No one like him will live in fear at his company anymore.


	57. Extras (Blurb 7)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random stuff about Goh and his dancing, idk where it came from exactly but yeah lol.

“I don’t like kendo as much as dancing. I want to dance!” 

Goh knew his parents would be surprised to hear him say it, but he wasn’t prepared how easily they took the news. 

Tyson asked him what kind of dancing he wanted to do. Kai wanted to know what classes he wanted to take. 

They tried out class after class. Goh went through his hip hop phase, jazz, and even tap dancing, but he finally decided on ballet. 

He was as awkward as a little boy could be dancing ballet. Usually the only boy in his group he worked hard to impress his teacher and his parents.

Kai and Tyson took turns attending every one of his practices. 

They always made sure the whole family could make it to the recital. 

Goh’s brothers never thought his interest was weird or odd, they learned from a young age to appreciate his talent. 

Goh or his family couldn’t read his moves and jumps like the experts, they clapped and congratulated him; but Kai and Tyson had no clue what skill Goh possessed until the ballet instructor approached them when Goh was ten years old. 

“He has incredible dedication for someone so young! He has the perfect body, built and muscular but still fluid. If he fills out well in his teens and keeps his body in shape he could be a prodigy!” 

Kai and Tyson were of course thrilled to hear Goh was talented in an area he loved.

But they were also scared.

Ballet was a difficult path, they agreed to support him through all of it. 

In middleschool Goh slowed down. With the extra workload, kendo at home, and personal life ballet was too much. If Goh couldn’t focus on it 100% he didn’t even want to bother.

When Goh started his first year in highschool he was immediately drawn to a poster in a hallway.

Goh didn’t have many friends, and he had finally managed to even out his school work and had a stable routine. 

_There is a ballet club in this school…_

He thought about it for a long time. He didn’t even sleep that night. He remembered the feelings ballet gave him. 

_I haven’t felt anything like that in a long time. The feeling of closing my eyes and feeling like the world is spinning around me. Feeling the cold wind of the studio brush past my ears… Feeling light on my feet like I could do anything… I really miss it._

Back at school the next day he was exhausted from not sleeping the night before. He almost fell asleep in his first class, so he decided to skip his second class, he wouldn’t have been able to concentrate anyways. 

He wandered the school. It was a large school. His fathers had a debate over what school he should attend. They gave him a few choices. He ended up picking the school Kai liked best. It was a private school, and old. There were small hallways he had never seen before. He continued to explore until he found himself in the theatre end of the school. 

He found a sign that read ‘Dance Studio’. 

_No, it wouldn’t be empty…_

The door to the studio was open, he peeped in and listened. 

I don’t see or hear anyone… 

Goh’s feet acted without his brain’s permission, he was standing in the middle of the dance studio before he knew it. 

It was completely empty. Scratch marks on the floor were covered over with a new glaze. The wooden boards were perfectly smooth. The mirror was spotless. 

Goh dropped his stuff near the wall. He took off his jacket and his T-shirt underneath. He was only wearing an old muscle shirt and his baggy uniform pants. He looked to the corner of the room and saw a stereo, he had no problem connected his phone to the doc.

He stood in the center of the room and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath in, and let it out. 

All of his old instincts came back as soon as the music started. It didn’t even occur to him that his body had changed from the last time he danced. 

He was still fit, and he could still make the jumps. 

He felt perfectly fluid and weightless, the previously stagnant wind danced around his ears as he turned, twirled, and jumped. 

He felt like he was in a completely different world.

Suddenly the smooth floor and spotless mirror didn’t matter. All that was happening was him, and the music. 

_I need my old shoes… No my feet are too big now. It’s difficult to do this without actual shoes, but I’m easily mixing in my old hip hop routines too. Somehow it’s working out. It probably looks sloppy… But it feels so good._

Suddenly the music stopped. Goh panicked and turned his body too fast, falling backwards and collapsing barely managing to prevent himself falling on his back. 

“Ow! Who!-” Goh spat while rubbing his neck and looking up at the girl who pulled his phone out of the stereo. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” She asked with the ballerina attitude that Goh remembered and despised. 

“Dancing! Who gave you permission to touch my phone?” Goh showed his anger defensively, but with a hint that showed how easily he could get offensive, just like his father. 

“You aren’t in any of the dancing classes, so why are you in the studio?” 

“It’s my school, I pay to go here. No one was using it so I helped myself.”

There was a long pause of silence. She put his phone back in the doc and played the music again. She approached him and Goh pulled himself off the floor.

“Can you lift?” She crossed her arms and looked him up and down.

“I did a little bit… Girls were lighter back then. I haven’t done ballet in many years-”

“Lift me then.” She uncrossed her arms and extended them in a generic fashion.

Goh rolled his eyes, but obeyed. 

It wasn’t very difficult, Goh was strong and she was light. But his posture was all wrong. 

She clicked her tongue and directed him to fix it. 

“Let me down.” 

Goh dropped her. She took a few steps back and crossed her arms again while looking him up and down again. 

“Very good.” 

“Excuse me?” Goh rolled his eyes again and stormed over to the stereo and unplugged his phone. 

“What’s your name?” She asked while Goh proceeded to his stuff. 

“Goh. Yours?” Goh asked sternly not really caring while putting his shirts back on and grabbing his bag. 

“I’m Yuri it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Goh slung his bag across his shoulder. 

“I think you should come back tomorrow at lunchtime.” Yuri smiled at him, which was an odd change. 

Goh felt more confused than ever, first she uses him, judges him, and now is demanding him to come back? 

“Why?” Goh asked angrily wanting an answer.

“Because you’re actually quite good. And we need a boy. I’ll tell sensei about you and you can come show her your stuff tomorrow at lunch.”

“Don’t want to.” 

“Okay.” She rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders dramatically. “But I could tell how much you loved it. You would die if you went on stage with us. We perform at the royal theatre sometimes twice a semester. The way the music echoes is astounding.”

Goh felt a single heartbeat want to launch out of his chest.

She was very persuasive. 

“I have to go.” Goh had a much softer tone now. He left the room without making eye contact. 

“There’s a ballet club at school. What would you think about me joining it?” 

Goh brought the question to his family while they were all sitting around watching tv after dinner. 

“You still like ballet? I thought you grew out of it?” Kai asked with curiosity. 

“No I still like it. I just didn’t have the time that I wanted to invest in it for the past few years. But I think I might be able to take it up again.” 

Tyson nodded slowly. “I think you’ll be able to manage to keep up with it and your grades. Go right ahead Goh. Just make sure you know your limits and when to stop if you have to. You will be putting a lot on your plate.” 

“You’re going to get made fun of you know.” 

Makoto’s snide remark made everyone turn to him instantly. 

“Makoto watch it.” Kai growled sternly. 

“Look all I’m saying is highschool isn’t elementary school. People still think its weird for manly guys like you to be into ballet. Everyone's going to think you’re gay.” 

“I’m not gay.” Goh stated matter-of-factly. 

“I know but everyone's going to think you are, and make fun of you for it.” 

“Which is something we’re going to have to fight Makoto. But for ballet, for me, it’s worth it.” 

Rin chimed in, “plus we have gay parents Makoto, it’s something we might have to get used to.” 

Kai and Tyson gave each other that look. The look they gave each other when they felt uncertain about their son's future because of their relationship. I made both their stomachs sink, but their sons were always strong and proud, and never made them disappointed. 

The next day Goh stood in front of the dance studio holding his bag. 

It was lunch and the door was closed. But he heard a rumble of music and voices inside. 

He took a deep breath before he opened the door and slid through. 

As soon as he walked on the studio floor every girl noticed him. They stopped with their routines and stretches, some of them were even changing in the corner. Goh felt embarrassed immediately and looked to the opposing wall. 

The music stopped and a loud harsh voice echoed through the studio.

“I have told the dancers multiple times their boyfriends are NOT allowed in the studio! They must wait outside!” 

“I-!” Goh tried to desperately explain himself. 

The ballet instructor waltzed up to him. She was skinny and clearly a former prima ballerina, or at least she thought she was. 

She tried to shoo him away with her hands.

“Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!” She said in a high pitched voice while waving her bony hands. 

Goh took a step back. 

“Wait! Sensei! He’s the boy I told you about!” 

Yuri had a much different expression than when Goh had met her yesterday. She looked determined, instead of bitchy. 

“Oh? Really? He’s not much to look at…” She looked him up and down just like Yuri had yesterday. 

Goh rolled his eyes. 

“Oh? You have a little bit of attitude huh?” She raised one eyebrow.

“Goh!” Yuri had pushed herself through the crowd that had formed.

“Take off your shirt!” She whispered to him. 

“Excuse me?” Goh mouthed the words back to her. 

“So are you going to sit there gawking or show me what you’ve got?” 

Goh was stunned at first, but then fixed his posture. He tossed his back to the floor and took off his uniform coat and then his T-shirt. 

The school uniform covered as much as possible so there was no way to see Goh’s build unless he took it off. 

He could see the expressions of the instructor and girls change instantly. 

Goh was left standing in again, just a raggedy old muscle shirt. 

“You could take it all off if you'd like!” He heard a girl shout from the crowd. 

“Girls!” The instructor shouted back at them. 

Goh stood alone feeling naked. 

“Music!” The instructor demanded and sounds started to play immediately. 

Goh still stood without knowing what to do. He looked side to side, and then at Yuri for direction. 

“Do you know anything?! Get into position!” The instructor yelled again.

Goh snapped back to his senses and clumsily formed a stance. 

“Give him room! And change to track 14!” Yuri yelled to the room. 

Goh silently thanked her and closed his eyes. When the music stopped, he felt his body light on fire, but when the music started his body turned to ice. 

And in a split second he felt like air. 

The track Yuri chose was similar to the one he danced to yesterday. 

Goh began as if no one was watching.

He focused on the air, the breeze, the music, and the feeling of the floor under his feet. 

He stopped when he felt a warm tall presence in front of him. 

“Can you do lifts?” The instructor asked. 

“A little bit…” Goh admitted hesitantly. 

The instructor picked a girl out from the crowd. “Do it then.” 

Goh turned to look at the girl. 

The music seemed to fade out, like he was in some tv drama.

She was beautiful.

He was never into ballerinas, but she did more than just tickle his fancy. He had never felt such an immediate attraction before. 

She was beautiful and sexy. She pretended he didn’t exist and lifted her arms demandingly. 

Goh shook his head. 

_It’s not important right now._

He remember what Yuri pointed out to him the day before. He picked her up and mimicked it perfectly. 

“Drop her now.” 

He let her down gently on the instructor's order. 

Goh stopped and stared at the older woman. He swallowed a hard lump in his throat while she contemplated. 

“You have a lot of work that needs to be done. I can tell you do more than just dance, you feel. That’s the number one problem most male ballerinas have. I think you could master lifts and become a damn good ballerina. With my instruction that is.” 

Goh gave a low bow. “Thank you sensei! I’m willing to try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that is all! Thank you past me for writing all this and saving it to a cloud so it didn't disappear lol. I'm constantly getting inspiration for more beyblade fanfics but haven't written anymore. This is the final collection of what I've wrote. I hope you enjoyed it! And good job if you made it this far that's insane! -All my love- Ressyfaerie


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